Argentina

Transcription

Argentina

Argentina
Introduction
A rgentina’s last military government ruled from
1976 to 1983, during which time close to 9,000
people were disappeared by the state.1 Since 1984,
EAAF has been investigating these political disappearances. In recent years, the team’s work has
been facilitated by better access to information
about the modus operandi of the security forces
and the bureaucracy during the repression, as
well as the increased availability of DNA analysis. In total, over the course of its investigations
from 1984 until the present, EAAF has identified
the remains of 444 individuals disappeared in
Argentina. Of these, in 335 cases, EAAF has been
able to return the remains of the individual, and
in 109 cases, the team has identified an individual
but is unable to recover the remains (largely corresponding to cases where identifications come
through historical investigation and fingerprint
records, but where the remains were removed to
a general ossuary). Over the past decade, EAAF’s
rate of identifications has significantly improved,
due to major advances in DNA technology and
their application in EAAF’s investigations.
U
nder the last military dictatorship, typically, a disappeared person would be
kidnapped by security forces, taken
to a clandestine detention center, tortured, and either released, sent to
prison, or extrajudicially executed. The
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EAAF 2007-2009 Triannual Report
National Commission on Disappeared
Persons (Comisión Nacional sobre la
Desaparición de Personas, CONADEP),
created by elected President Alfonsín
in 1984, documented the existence of
more than 350 clandestine detention
centers (CDCs) operating in the country
Argentina
La Plata, province of Buenos Aires, Argentina, 2009. The family of Héctor Carlos Baratti, reburying his remains in La Plata Cemetery
after his identification by EAAF in November 2009. Photo: EAAF.
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Lanus, province of Buenos Aires, Argentina, 2008. With the launch of the Latin American Initiative for the Identification of the Disappeared
in Argentina (LIID) in 2007, EAAF began efforts to reach out to families of the disappeared to donate blood samples, including meetings
in neighborhoods throughout Buenos Aires and public posters with information on how to participate in the campaign. Photo: EAAF.
during the military rule, located mostly
in police precincts, military bases, and
private residences. The remains of
“disappeared” persons were disposed
of in one of three ways: they were
thrown from military aircrafts into rivers
and the Argentine Sea, in operations
that became known as “vuelos de la
muerte” (death flights); they were buried in clandestine graves; or they were
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buried in public cemeteries throughout
the country as “N.N.” (Ningún Nombre,
signifying John/Jane Doe).
EAAF has primarily investigated the
cases where remains have been buried anonymously in cemeteries, since
it has been more likely that the team
would be able to recover the remains.
However, in a very few cases, bodies
dumped into the Argentine Sea from
airplanes during death flights washed
ashore on the Argentine and Uruguayan
coasts and were given “N.N.” burials
at the time in local cemeteries. EAAF
has been able to trace, recover, and
identify some of these remains.2 Finally,
in recent years, EAAF has recovered
remains from clandestine burials outside of cemeteries, such as on military
Argentina
bases or at police compounds. These
remains were found after collecting
testimonies and surveying the potential burial sites. As a result of these first
discoveries, EAAF has put more work
into searching for potential clandestine
burial sites.
In the case of remains of disappeared persons buried anonymously
in cemeteries, the bodies often first
“appeared” on the streets or barren
lots of urban areas before their eventual burial. Upon discovering a cadaver
or group of cadavers, the police, the
judiciary, or other government officials followed most of the procedures
routinely conducted in “N.N.” cases.
These included writing a description of
the discovery, taking photographs, fingerprinting the corpse, conducting an
autopsy or external examination of the
body, producing a death certificate,
making an entry in the local civil registry, and issuing a burial certificate.3
In other words, the state that had
committed the crime in a clandestine
manner was bureaucratically recording
the aftermath of its activities, oblivious
or indifferent to the paper trail it was
creating. It is through access to these
documents that EAAF has been able to
reconstruct the whereabouts of, and
eventually identify, the remains of disappeared persons.
Initially, EAAF concentrated most of
its investigations in the city of Buenos
Aires and the province of Buenos
Aires, given that over 70 percent
of kidnappings of disappeared persons occurred in these areas.4 Since
2004, EAAF has been working more
intensively in other provinces.
In 1997, EAAF negotiated access to
documents related to the repression
archived by the federal government
and the government of the province
of Buenos Aires. Since that time, the
team has made steady advances in the
retrieval of these documents—most
importantly the recovery of an extensive collection of fingerprints taken
from cadavers “found” on the street
during the dictatorship which has
allowed EAAF to resolve difficult cases
of disappearance. The testimonies of
CDC survivors, as well as interviews
with relatives of disappeared persons,
social and political activists, and former
guerrilla members have often been
crucial to EAAF’s investigations.
The complexity of the pattern of
repression in Argentina, involving
mainly urban disappearances, often
results in the need for extensive historical research before EAAF can
form a hypothetical match between
remains and a particular family. Also,
lack of sufficient ante-mortem information about victims, such as medical and dental records, often makes a
positive identification of the remains
using traditional anthropological and
odontological techniques not possible,
allowing only a tentative identification.
In 1991, EAAF began confirming identifications through genetic analysis.
EAAF’s approach to genetics changed
significantly in 2007, with the launch
of the Latin American Initiative for the
Identification of the Disappeared (LIID)
in Argentina. The aim of this project
has been to dramatically increase the
identification of the remains of human
rights victims from the region by using
new DNA technology on a massive
scale. EAAF is joined in LIID by two
other non-governmental organizations
applying forensic sciences to the investigation of human rights violations in
Latin America: the Guatemalan Forensic
Anthropology Foundation (FAFG) and
the Peruvian Forensic Anthropology
Team (EPAF), who are pursuing projects in their own countries.5
This project was made possible by
genetic advances resulting from
the need to identify victims of the
recent wars in the Balkans and the
September 11th, 2001 World Trade
Center attack. Also, key financial support for LIID was provided by a US
Congress earmark grant in 2007 and
from grants made since then by the
Argentine Congress. Since the launch
of LIID in Argentina, EAAF has worked
on genetic testing with the US-based
Bode Technology Group and, in early
2009, finished construction of its own
not-for-profit forensic genetics laboratory in Córdoba, Argentina. Between
these two laboratories, by the end
of 2009, EAAF genetically processed
bone samples from almost 950 skeletons exhumed from cemeteries
throughout the country and has collected and processed more than 7,500
blood samples from relatives of people
disappeared during the last military
dictatorship. Over 6,000 blood samples were collected through a national
campaign launched in 2007, which
made 63 centers available for donating blood samples all over the country.
The donation centers were opened
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as a result of a tripartite agreement
between the Argentine Secretary of
Human Rights, the Argentine Ministry
of Health, and EAAF. Another 1,500
samples have been collected and processed by EAAF during its own work
in Argentina since 1997. From the
genetic comparison of these samples,
the team has currently identified 140
persons up to the present who were
forcefully disappeared and killed, and
there are more identifications in process. All of these identifications are
confirmed by comparing the remains
with available anthropological and
odontological ante-mortem data,
as well as background information
concerning the disappeared person.
Many of these cases had little hope
of positive identifications prior to this
project. The LIID results signify an
important new advance for the families of victims, the search for truth,
and provide a source of evidence necessary for ongoing judicial proceedings against individuals implicated in
these crimes.
EAAF Investigation Process
EAAF members and staff dedicated
to investigation in Argentina work in
five areas: preliminary investigation,
search and recovery of remains,
laboratory analysis, genetics, and
the visual, graphic, and archival
documentation center.
Preliminary Investigation
To identify the remains of individuals
disappeared during the last Argentine
military dictatorship, it is necessary
to understand the modus operandi
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of the repression. This involves taking into account the logistical and
administrative structures organized
by the state for that purpose. Since
the beginning of the investigation in
Argentina, EAAF has emphasized the
difference between the state as clandestine repressor and the bureaucratic state. For most of the military
rule, the armed forces divided the
country into five command zones.
To uncover patterns of repression in
Argentina, EAAF investigates the illegal detention centers that operated
in these zones, as well as a variety of
documents, including judicial files,
morgue registries, federal and provincial police, hospital, and cemetery
records, and publications—particularly newspapers—from the period.
From 2007 to 2009, the team
continued its historical research
in three regions of Argentina:
the city and province of Buenos
Aires (the city of Buenos Aires is
a separate administrative entity),
the northeastern and northwestern
provinces, and the central provinces.
The First, Second, Third, and Fourth
Army Corps operated in these areas
during the last military dictatorship.
Interviews with former political
prisoners and relatives of victims are
one of the most effective ways of
uncovering who was held at different
clandestine centers and the ultimate
fate of particular prisoners. In the
course of its investigations from
2007 to 2009, EAAF held in-depth
interviews with released prisoners
and political activists from the
1970s and met with relatives of the
disappeared. As part of LIID, families
who were donating blood samples
were also given an opportunity to
volunteer
historical
information
about their relative(s).
In addition, by law, every Argentine
is issued two federal forms of
identification, one by the police and
the other by the National Registry of
Persons. Since 1998, EAAF has been
able to make initial identifications
by comparing the fingerprints taken
from bodies that had appeared on
the street during the dictatorship with
the fingerprints on documents issued
by the government. EAAF confirms
these initial identifications through
anthropological and genetic analyses.
From 2007 to 2009, the team
continued working on fingerprint
comparison with records from the
registry of the Federal Police.
With LIID, many of the identifications
have resolved cases that previously
lacked preliminary information or
strong identity hypotheses. As a
result of these identifications, EAAF
has been able to fill in gaps about the
history of the repression and connect
more kidnapping events, testimonies
regarding prisoners seen in CDCs,
extrajudicial execution events, and
burial events. As EAAF learns more
about the repression, it provides
more information for generating
hypotheses about still unidentified
remains. For instance, if it is known
that two remains “appeared” on the
street together (from newspaper
articles or army communiqués),
Argentina
Buenos Aires, Argentina, 2010. Having collected blood samples from relatives of nearly 4,500 disappeared persons (approximately half
of the total), EAAF re-launched the LIID public campaign in 2010 in an attempt to bring more relatives into the project. As part of the
campaign, EAAF placed posters on public buses in Buenos Aires. Photo: EAAF.
and EAAF is able to identify one
of them as an individual known to
have been held in a specific CDC,
the same information may apply to
the other unidentified individual and
may help resolve that case. Given
the high number of identifications in
the past three years, there are many
historical implications for EAAF to
investigate—work that will continue
into 2010 and following years.
Search and Recovery
of Remains
recovery of 181 remains believed to
correspond to disappeared persons.
From 2007 to 2009, EAAF conducted
site surveys and excavations in
cemeteries and clandestine detention
centers in the provinces of Buenos
Aires, Chaco, Córdoba, Corrientes,
Entre Ríos, Formosa, Mendoza,
Misiones, Neuquén, Santa Fe,
Santiago del Estero, and Tucumán.
These investigations resulted in the
In addition, thousands of bone
fragments were recovered from an
excavation at Pozo de Arana, a CDC
in the province of Buenos Aires, which
EAAF has estimated correspond to
a minimum of 15 individuals. The
excavation at Pozo de Arana marks the
first time EAAF has been able to recover
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remains from a clandestine burial site
in Argentina—a significant finding as
the team seeks to locate more burials
in CDCs and military bases.
Laboratory Analysis
From 2007 to 2009, EAAF conducted
anthropological analysis on skeletal
remains corresponding to a minimum
number of 260 individuals. This
included cleaning, cataloging, and
analyzing remains exhumed from
the cemeteries of Lomas de Zamora,
Berazategui, General Lavalle, Isidro
Casanova, San Martín, Merlo, and La
Plata, all in the province of Buenos
Aires, and remains recovered in the
provinces of Chaco, Corrientes,
Misiones, Neuquén, Salta, Santa Fe,
and Tucumán.
there were potentially a few thousand
remains which could conceivably be
recovered and submitted for DNA
analysis. Previously, using small-scale
testing, EAAF would have required
a strong identity hypothesis in order
to move forward with requesting
blood samples from the family and
conducting genetic tests. With
the use of new DNA technologies,
EAAF can compare genetic material
from thousands of family members’
blood samples with genetic material
recovered from the bone samples of
hundreds of skeletons. This is a blind
comparison, in most cases without
an identity hypothesis prior to DNA
testing, and every new sample
included can be compared against
all the other samples processed up to
that date.
Genetics
The role of genetics in EAAF’s work
has expanded since 2007. In 1991,
EAAF began confirming identifications
through genetic analysis conducted
pro bono by foreign DNA laboratories.
Since 2003, EAAF has been able
to process more cases each year
by working with LIDMO S.R.L., a
private Argentine genetic laboratory.
EAAF’s genetic testing has increased
significantly since the launch of the
Latin American Initiative for the
Identification of the Disappeared (LIID).
The project focuses on drastically
improving the identification of the
remains of people disappeared in
Latin America for political reasons by
using genetic technology on a massive
scale. At the beginning of LIID in
Argentina, based on over twenty years
of investigations, EAAF estimated that
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The first phase of the LIID project in
Argentina planned for work in three
main areas: 1) the genetic analysis
of 600 skeletons already in EAAF
custody, the collection and analysis
of 3,600 blood samples from relatives
of disappeared persons, and a public
campaign to disseminate information
about LIID; 2) purchasing equipment
and training staff for a new local
EAAF genetics laboratory; and 3)
the exhumation and anthropological
analysis of 200 remains by EAAF, to
be processed genetically in the second
year of the project.
The formal public launch of LIID in
Argentina was on November 1, 2007.
A television, radio, and public national
advertisement campaign was begun
to urge families of the disappeared to
donate blood samples and to submit
their testimonies if they had not done
so already. EAAF set up a toll-free
number and a call center in the team’s
Buenos Aires office to handle the
response. As of September 2010, the
EAAF call center had received close
to 3,000 phone calls, the majority
of which were from families of
disappeared persons inquiring about
giving a blood sample.
Blood samples are collected through
an agreement with the Argentine
Secretary of Human Rights and the
Argentine Ministry of Health. Donors
first visit one of the 60 offices of the
Secretary of Human Rights throughout
the country, where the status of their
depositions are checked and a new file
opened if necessary. At that time, a
follow-up blood sample appointment
is scheduled with one of the 63 blood
sample collection centers located in
hospitals across the country, which
are run by the National Blood Bank
under the Ministry of Health. The
confidentiality of the blood samples
is maintained by a barcode system,
and only the Secretary of Human
Rights, EAAF, and the donor know
the association between the specific
donor and a blood sample.
By the end of 2008, EAAF collected
5,200 blood samples from relatives of
disappeared persons. This represented
1,600 more blood samples than EAAF
had anticipated. Besides collecting
samples in Argentina, EAAF collected
samples in Spain, Sweden, Bolivia,
and Chile from families with relatives
disappeared in Argentina. In the first
Argentina
Colonia, Uruguay, 2002. EAAF members analyzing remains found washed ashore along the coast of Uruguay during the period of the
last military dictatorship, and ultimately determined to correspond to individuals disappeared in Argentina, and disposed of by means
of “death flights”. Even with the increased importance of genetic testing, anthropological analysis and preliminary investigations are
essential to resolving many cases, such as these cases from Uruguay. Photo: EAAF.
year of LIID, EAAF sent these 5,200
blood samples and bone samples from
598 remains to the Bode Technology
Group, the US genetics laboratory
contracted by EAAF for the testing
(after a bidding process).
On June 2, 2009, EAAF held a
press conference in Buenos Aires
announcing the first 42 identifications
resulting from LIID in Argentina. By
the end of 2009, EAAF had made 86
identifications as part of the project.
These identifications were reached, and
the remains returned to their families,
after EAAF checked the genetic reports
for each case, confirming identifications
by comparing remains with the
team’s background, anthropological,
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odontological, and ante-mortem data
for the individual. EAAF also submitted
multidisciplinary identification reports
to the courts as an expert witness, in
order to modify the victim’s status from
“disappeared” to “deceased” in the
judicial records and provide evidence in
ongoing trials.6 At present, EAAF has
reached 140 identifications, but only
those reached by the end of 2009 are
discussed in this report.
As a result of the first genetic analyses,
Bode and LIDMO reported that in
70% of cases it had been difficult to
reconstruct a full nuclear DNA profile
(the genetic information used to
compare and match different samples)
using STR (short tandem repeater)
analysis. These difficult cases related
almost exclusively to bone samples,
which were from remains that had
typically been buried 30 years ago.
To improve results, EAAF agreed with
Bode and LIDMO on conducting further
testing. This testing took place in
2008 and 2009 on new samples taken
from the skeletons already submitted,
using complementary genetic testing
methods, such as mitochondrial
DNA (mtDNA), Y-chromosome STR,
and mini-STR. This additional testing
made dramatic improvements over
initial results, although it extended
the time required for testing and
raised costs. A significant number of
new identifications were reached as a
result of this retesting.
In 2009, EAAF submitted bone samples
for testing from almost 350 additional
skeletons believed to belong to
disappeared persons, raising the total
number of skeletons included in LIID to
nearly 950 for STR testing. Retesting
and complementary testing was also
necessary for many of the samples
from this new group of cases.
By October 2010, EAAF had submitted
nearly 7,500 total blood samples from
Ramos Meija Hospital, Buenos Aires, Argentina, 2007. A relative of a disappeared person donating a blood sample as part of LIID.
Photo: EAAF.
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Argentina
Buenos Aires, Argentina, 2008. The presiding judge of the Federal Chamber of the Federal Capital, Horacio Rolando Cattani, signs
packages containing the first shipment of blood and bone samples for LIID testing in 2008, confirming that the contents correspond to
the information in the accompanying chain of custody documents. Photo: EAAF.
the families of 4,441 disappeared
people for testing. In late 2009, EAAF
relaunched the public campaign to
bring forth more relatives of victims,
building off the momentum of the first
identifications. Second-year activities
were supported by a generous grant
from the Argentine government.
Documentation Center
The team continued expanding its
documentation database. From 2007
to 2009, EAAF continued scanning
1970s intelligence reports, newspaper
and magazine articles, testimonies,
and photographs of the disappeared.
EAAF’s archive also includes negatives
and slides taken by team members
over the last 20 years in Argentina
and the more than 40 other countries
where EAAF has worked. This archive
is already available to a selected
public. EAAF aims to make the archive
more widely available to relatives
of victims, the judiciary, journalists,
and academics, among others, in
the near future. By storing original
materials in more durable and lasting
formats, EAAF can increase public
access without concern about loss
of records. Still, confidentiality and
restricted access will apply to some of
this material.
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New EAAF Genetics Laboratory
In early 2009, EAAF opened its own
not-for-profit forensic genetics laboratory, solely dedicated to human rights
cases, in Córdoba, Argentina, This was
a major achievement for the team,
allowing EAAF to expand its use of
genetics in identifying remains, lower
costs for genetic testing, and increase
local capacity. EAAF’s forensic genetics
laboratory is unique in many regards. It
is one of the few laboratories in Latin
America, and the only one in Argentina, with state-of-the-art equipment
for forensic testing on bones. Due to
the team’s needs in working on human rights cases, the laboratory specializes in the extraction of DNA from
bone samples—a much more difficult
and expensive task than working with
soft tissues or fluids, and one with
which relatively few laboratories have
experience. Often, by the time an independent forensic team is able to
access remains in human rights cases
(especially those involving forced disappearances), the bodies have often
decomposed beyond recognition or
fully skeletonized. In addition, identifying skeletal remains is often more difficult because direct samples from the
victim before his or her disappearance
(that is, DNA coming directly from the
missing individual, typically collected
from personal effects left behind) are
almost never available. Instead, EAAF
must collect blood samples from family members in order to identify human
rights victims through kinship matching. Thus, the EAAF’s laboratory is fully
equipped to process blood samples,
but its specialty is in the extraction of
DNA from bone samples.
EAAF’s laboratory is currently able to
utilize nearly all major techniques for
processing DNA with the goal of ob-
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taining a genetic profile and/or adding significant genetic information
for identification purposes. These
techniques include STR (short tandem
repeats), SNP (single-nucleotide polymorphism), Indel (insertion-deletion),
Y-chromosome STR (paternal descent),
and mtDNA (mitochondrial DNA/maternal descent). EAAF’s laboratory is
one of the few with experience in all
of the techniques mentioned above.
EAAF’s employment of a wide variety
of techniques is largely due to the
difficulty of getting DNA from bone
samples recovered in Argentina. EAAF
has found that, because the DNA is
poorly preserved in a large percentage
of Argentine cases, in order to create
the best chance of obtaining or completing a genetic profile, either several
rounds of re-testing (using one technique, typically STR) may be necessary on samples from one skeleton or
EAAF may need to combine different
DNA analysis techniques. By developing capabilities with this wide range
of genetic techniques, EAAF has intentionally positioned the laboratory
as a highly specialized facility that can
complement other (often commercial)
genetic laboratories that can process
samples on a more massive scale. For
EAAF’s work, a large number of samples may be sent to a foreign laboratory capable of conducting the initial
testing of all samples at a faster and
sometimes cheaper rate than EAAF
would be able to. But, EAAF has found
that these large laboratories—mostly
located in the US or Europe—are often
not ideal for tailoring specific testing
strategies to achieve the best results
for each sample, for both technical
and financial reasons. EAAF’s laboratory complements the testing done in
these initial massive genetic tests. The
team can do more customized, specific work for each case, looking at what
can help improve results in recovering
genetic information. All these characteristics of EAAF’s laboratory translate
directly into more identifications. Cases that would not be resolved solely
by an initial testing can reach an identification through this approach.
In addition, EAAF has conceived of
the laboratory as a training center for
other geneticists working on human
rights cases. With the team’s experience in a range of techniques, EAAF
can provide better training experiences for these geneticists, providing them with alternative methods
to “rescue” cases that may seem difficult after initial testing. The EAAF
laboratory has already provided genetic assessments of local capabilities
and advisory recommendations for
scientists from Bolivia, South Africa,
Nepal, and Australia.
Further, the EAAF laboratory is able to
offer testing at a not-for-profit cost.
This allows for testing in many contexts where it may not have been affordable previously. While working
largely on Argentine cases, EAAF is
slowly expanding its ability to accept
human rights cases from abroad. So
far, the team has conducted testing
on samples from Bolivia, El Salvador,
East Timor, and South Africa. Making DNA technology accessible to the
families of victims of disappearance,
in Argentina and internationally, can
make an enormous difference in their
lives—finally ending the sometimes
decades of uncertainty and anguish
over the fate of their loved one and
providing evidence to access justice.
Argentina
(Top left) Buenos Aires, Argentina, 2009. The director of EAAF’s genetics laboratory leading a workshop on the application of genetics
to forensic investigation. (Top middle, top right, and middle row). Córdoba, Province of Córdoba, Argentina, 2009. Photos from EAAF’s
genetic laboratory after it opened in 2009. A considerable number of steps are involved in the process of collecting genetic material from
samples, amplifying the amount of genetic material available for testing, and undertaking the sequencing and testing of each sample.
(Bottom). The equipment in EAAF’s laboratory is all state-of-the-art, making it one of the few genetics laboratories in Latin America with
advanced capabilities in processing bone samples and dedicated to human rights cases. Photos: EAAF.
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2007-2009 Case Investigations and Identifications
Province of Buenos Aires
As explained above, most EAAF investigations in Argentina have
focused on the city and province of Buenos Aires, where two-thirds of
all disappearances occurred.
Avellaneda Cemetery,
Avellaneda,
Greater Buenos Aires
Sector 134
A
vellaneda Municipal Cemetery is
located in the southern suburbs
of Buenos Aires, 12 kilometers
away from the capital. Between 1988
and 1992, EAAF recovered the remains
of 336 individuals from Sector 134, an
area of the cemetery used by the military government to bury the remains of
disappeared and indigent people.
In 2003, EAAF began an identification project involving the remains of
50 unidentified women who had been
exhumed from Sector 134; identification was confirmed by DNA testing in
the UK and at LIDMO. From the identification of some of the women, historical investigation allowed EAAF to formulate identity hypotheses for other
remains exhumed from Sector 134.
For the first year of LIID, a large number
of the samples submitted for testing were
from remains recovered in Avellaneda
Cemetery. Through the present, EAAF
has identified a total of 67 individuals
from Sector 134. From the first identification in 1991 through 2007, EAAF
identified 22 individuals from this section
of Avellaneda Cemetery. From 2007 to
2009, the following 45 individuals were
identified from Sector 134:
Avellaneda Cemetery, province of Buenos
Aires, Argentina, 1988. In 1988, EAAF began
the work of exhuming and analyzing the
remains buried in Sector 134, a 12 by 24 meter
area annexed to Avellaneda Cemetery. This
area was used by security forces between
1976 and 1978 to dispose of bodies of
disappeared persons. Photo: EAAF.
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Argentina
1.Guillermo Antonio Ferraro. He was
from her house in General Pacheco,
married, 25 years old, employed in
Greater Buenos Aires. As mentioned
a plumbing workshop, and a mem-
above, her brother-in-law Antonio
ber of the Worker’s Revolutionary
Milagro
Party
los
(Partido
Revolucionario
Trabajadores,
PRT)
and
Villanueva,
sister-in-law
de
Maria Rosa Ducca, and nephew,
the
were all disappeared as well (pic-
People’s Revolutionary Army (Ejército
tured on the far left).
Revolucionario del Pueblo, ERP), an
armed political organization associ-
8. Jorge Armando Díaz. He was mar-
ated with PRT. He was disappeared on
ried, 21 years old, a factory worker,
April 29, 1976, from Buenos Aires.
and a member of Montoneros. He
was disappeared on July 1, 1976,
2. María Teresa Cerviño. She was mar-
from Sarandí, Greater Buenos Aires.
ried, with a daughter, 28 years old, a
psychology student, and a member of
the Montoneros, an armed political
organization. She was disappeared
on April 24, 1976, from Buenos Aires.
Her husband, René Esteban Locascio,
A map of Sector 134 produced during
EAAF’s excavations from 1988 to 1992,
showing expected burial plots based on
cemetery records and the individual and
mass graves EAAF was actually recovering
at the time. Graphic: EAAF.
had been killed in 1975 in Rosario
9.Rachel Elizabeth Venegas Illanes.
She was married, 24 years old, a
governess, a Chilean citizen, and a
member of the Leftist Revolutionary
Movement (Movimiento de Izquierda
Revolucionaria, MIR), a Chilean armed
de Lerma, province of Salta, and her
6. María Rosa Ducca. She was married,
political organization. She was disap-
sister, María Luisa Cerviño was disap-
with a son, 24 years old, and a mem-
peared from the street near her home
peared later in 1977.
ber of PRT-ERP. She was disappeared
in Buenos Aires, on July 18, 1976.
on April 4, 1976, from the house of
3. Fernando Juan Lagos. He was mar-
her sister-in-law in General Pacheco,
10. María Guillermina Abutti. She
ried, with a daughter, 20 years old,
Greater Buenos Aires. Her sister-in-
had a partner, and a child, was 24
a union worker, and a member of
law María Cristina Olivieri was also
years old, a social worker, and a uni-
Montoneros. He was disappeared on
disappeared at the time (and identi-
versity student. Her partner, Alfredo
May 24, 1977, from Lanús, Greater
fied from Avellaneda Cemetery, see
Correa,
Buenos Aires.
below), as was her son. Her son was
before her disappearance (and later
was
imprisoned
shortly
recovered by the Abuelas de Plaza de
released). María and her brother-in-
4.Ruben Oscar Silva. He was mar-
Mayo in 1989 and returned to his bio-
law were warned by an anonymous
ried, 26 years old, a lifeguard, and a
logical family. María Rosa’s husband,
call to cease visiting Alfredo. She was
member of Montoneros. He was dis-
Antonio Milagro Villanueva, was dis-
disappeared on April 24, 1976, from
appeared on March 24, 1977, from
appeared in January 1976, shortly
a street in Buenos Aires, en route to
Lanús, Greater Buenos Aires.
after participating in the attack on
the prison. Her brother-in-law was
an arsenal in Monte Chingolo (see
detained as well, for 48 hours.
5.Carlos Alberto Gutierrez. He was
Monte Chingolo section below).
11. Mónica Graciela Santucho. She
married, with five children, 34 years
7. María Cristina Olivieri de Ducca.
was 14 years old and a high school
She was married, with a son, 33
student. Her parents, Catalina Ginder
July 1, 1976, from Sarandí, Greater
years old, and a member of PRT-ERP.
and Ruben Edin Santucho, were
Buenos Aires.
She disappeared on April 4, 1976,
members of Montoneros. She was
old, a truck driver, and a member of
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Identified Disappeared Persons
7
1
13
12
30
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14
9
Argentina
2
5
8
11
6
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31
Santa Cruz Church, Buenos Aires, Argentina, 2010. A memorial ceremony prior to the reburial of the remains of Carlos Benjamín Santillan,
identified by EAAF in September 2009. Photo: EAAF.
disappeared on December 3, 1976,
Gladis del Valle Porcel (the latter was
was disappeared on February 10,
from her family’s home in La Plata,
identified by EAAF in 2009 from San
1977, from their home in La Plata,
province of Buenos Aires. According
Martín Cemetery, see below).
province of Buenos Aires.
to reports, her parents were killed in
13. Eduardo Corvalán. He was married,
15.Reinaldo José Monzón. He was
with a daughter and son, 34 years old,
22 years old, fulfilling his at-the-
12. Juan Carlos Arroyo. He was
worked in the Library of Exact Sciences
time compulsory military service
married, with three daughters, 33
at the University of Buenos Aires, and
with Artillery Unit No. 1, and also
years old, and had worked as the
was a member of ERP 22 (a splinter
a member of Montoneros. He was
Director of the Historical Archive of
faction of ERP). He was disappeared
disappeared on April 21, 1977,
the Province of Jujuy until he was
from his home in Avellaneda, Greater
from his house in Merlo, province of
forced to quit because of his politi-
Buenos Aires, on July 22, 1976. His
Buenos Aires.
cal activities. He was a member of
wife, Monica Delgado, was disap-
the October 17 Revolutionary Front
peared with him and was pregnant at
(Frente Revolucionario 17 de Octubre,
the time of her abduction.
the same incident.
FR-17), an armed political organiza-
32
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16.Carlos Gerardo Pérez. He was 20
years old, a factory worker, a university student, and a member of PRT-
tion. He was disappeared from his
14. Anahí Silvia Fernández. She
ERP. Along with his partner Leonore
house in Moreno, province of Buenos
was married, with two daughters,
Genoveva Pierro, he was disap-
Aires on October 28, 1976. He was
21 years old, and a member of
peared on November 10, 1976, from
disappeared along with fellow mili-
Montoneros. Along with her hus-
their home in San Nicolás, province
tants Marta Taboada de Dillon and
band, Mario Miguel Mercader, she
of Buenos Aires.
Argentina
17. Ernesto Ramos. He was married,
was disappeared at his workplace on
with a daughter and son, 26 years
January 25, 1977. old, a metal worker, and a member
of Montoneros. He was disappeared
25. Ana María Woichejosky. She was
from his house in Burzaco, Greater
married, with two children, 43 years
Buenos Aires, on January 12, 1977.
old, a craftsperson and art teacher,
He was abducted along with his
and a member of FR-17. She was
brother, Lucio Dionel Ramos.
disappeared from Buenos Aires on
November 7, 1976.
18. Alberto Luis Romero. He was marLomas de Zamora, Greater Buenos Aires,
Argentina, 1976. Photo from judicial file.
Authorities recovered the body of María
Teresa Cerviño hanging from the bridge
shown center. She was found along with
a graffiti message threatening other
Montoneros. Photo: EAAF.
26. Julio Alfredo Navarro. He was 18
siblings Cristina Romero (identified
22. Luis Alberto Ciancio. He was
27. Lidia Inés Amigo. She was 22 years
by EAAF, see below), José Abel, and
married, with a son, 26 years old, a
old, a university student of architec-
Ana María, as well as several of their
university student in engineering,
ture and a member of Montoneros.
spouses and friends, were disappeared
worked for a construction company,
She was disappeared from the Faculty
during the last military dictatorship.
and was a member of the Marxist
of Architecture at the University of
Leninist Communist Party (Partido
La Plata on December 21, 1976.
19.Roberto Castillo. He was mar-
Comunista Marxista Leninista, PCML).
Her boyfriend, Oscar Ragni, was
ried, with eight children, 42 years
On December 7, 1976, he was dis-
disappeared the following day in
old, employed by a poultry business,
appeared from a public street in La
Neuquén, province of Neuquén.
and a member of Montoneros. On
Plata, province of Buenos Aires. His
January 12, 1977, he was disap-
wife, Patricia Dillon Garay de Ciancio,
peared from his home in Burzaco,
was disappeared the same day.
ried, with a daughter and son, 23 years
old, worked in the Esmeralda Factory,
and was a member of Montoneros.
He was disappeared from his brother’s house in Monte Grande, Greater
years old, a student, and a member
of PRT-ERP. On July 7, 1976, he was
disappeared in Lujan, province of
Buenos Aires.
Buenos Aires, on July 16, 1976. His
28. Carlos Benjamín Santillán. He
was married, with a daughter and
son, 31 years old, self-employed,
23. Justo César Ibarguren. He was
and a member of PRT-ERP. He was
20. Alfredo Horacio Martellotto. He
married, with a daughter, 19 years
disappeared in San Nicolás, province
had a daughter, was 28 years old,
old, a university student of architec-
of Buenos Aires, on November 9,
a law student, and a member of
ture, and a member of PRT-ERP. He
1976. He was abducted at the same
Montoneros. On April 27, 1976,
was disappeared on September 24,
time as Irene Tey Ballester, another
he was disappeared from Lomas de
1976, in Monte Caseros, province of
member of ERP. A few days later, his
Zamora, Greater Buenos Aires.
Corrientes. His wife, Maria Eugenia
wife, Maria Cristina Lanzillotto was
Vallejo, had been disappeared in
also disappeared (she was identified
May 1976 and was later released.
by EAAF in 2006).
21. Francisco Hugo Mena. He was married, with a son, 25 years old, and a
member of the Montoneros. He and
24. Guillermo Enrique Pérez. He
29. Rodolfo Daniel Elias. He was 24
his wife, Graciela Marta Alvarez, were
was married, with a son, 32 years
years old, employed in a public char-
disappeared in José C. Paz, Greater
old, and worked as a commercial
ity, and studied journalism. He was
Buenos Aires, on April 19, 1976.
ceramic installer in Mar del Plata. He
disappeared on June 13, 1976, from
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41
37
24
27
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22
Argentina
39
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36
34
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35
the house of his girlfriend, Liliana Edith
33. Hugo Manuel Mattion. He had
was disappeared on November 24,
Molteni, in Lanús, Greater Buenos
a partner, and a son, was 26 years
1976, from his home in La Plata,
Aires. His girlfriend Liliana was also
old, a student, worked as an electri-
province of Buenos Aires, along with
disappeared at the time (and identified
cal contractor, and was a member
his wife Elba Nidia Videla.
by EAAF in 2005), as was Tamara Arze,
of PRT-ERP. He was disappeared
the daughter of Rosa María Riveros
on May 6, 1976, after leaving his
38. Ofelia María Martul. She was 26
(who had been under detention since
home in Buenos Aires. Fellow ERP
years old, a surgical assistant and a
1975). Liliana was caring for Tamara
members Haroldo Conti and Hector
member of PRT-ERP. She was disap-
during this period. Tamara was recov-
Fabiani were disappeared around
peared on June 17, 1976, from her
ered by the Abuelas de Plaza de Mayo
the same time.
home in Buenos Aires.
in 1983 and reunited with her mother,
who had been released.
34.
Silvia
Amanda
González
39. Jorge Fernando Di Pascuale. He
Chacón. She was married, 19 years
was married, with a daughter and
30. Miguel Ramón Galván. He was
old, a student of surgical assistance,
two sons, and 46 years old. He was
married, with a son and daughter, 25
and a member of Montoneros. On
Secretary General for the Association
years old, a government employee,
December 1, 1976, she was disap-
of Pharmaceutical Employees and
and a member of Montoneros.
peared along with her husband,
a member of the combined Front
He disappeared on September 10,
Juan Carlos Mora, from their home
of Peronist Associations (Frente de
1976, from his home in Lomas de
in La Plata, province of Buenos Aires.
Agrupaciones Peronistas, FAP). He
Zamora, Greater Buenos Aires. His
She was five months pregnant at
was disappeared from his home in
wife, Marta Josefa Enrique, was also
the time.
Buenos Aires on December 29, 1976.
kidnapped but later released.
35. Enrique Ríos. He was 21 years old,
40. Héctor Hugo Malnati Salazar.
31. Osvaldo Víctor Mantello. He was
completing his at-the-time compul-
He was 28 years old, an electri-
divorced, had a son, and was 27 years
sory military service with the Artillery
cal mechanic, and a member of
old. He was a technical electrician
Unit No. 101 stationed in Junín,
Greater Buenos Aires, and a member
November 24, 1976, from the house
disappeared June 16, 1977, from his
of PRT-ERP. He was disappeared on
of Irene Scala and Nestor Zuppa in
home in San Martín, Greater Buenos
October 30, 1976, in Junín.
La Plata, province of Buenos Aires.
Aires, along with his partner Susana
Irene, Nestor, and their 16-month-
Reyes. His former wife, Liliana Mabel
36. Carlos Francisco Simón. He was
old son were also disappeared,
Bietti, was also disappeared around
married, with two sons, 29 years old,
along with Héctor’s girlfriend, Mirtha
the same time.
an engineer in the Bago Laboratory
Noelia Coutoune.
in Buenos Aires, and a member of
32. María Inés Margarita Assales.
Montoneros. He was disappeared
41. Jorge Alberto Salite. He was
She was married, with a daughter,
on February 7, 1977, from his home
married, with two daughters, and
24 years old, and a member of the
in City Bell, province of Buenos
29 years old. He was a worker
Communist Organization of Worker’s
Aires, along with his wife, Patricia
and union representative at the
Strength (Organización Comunista
Hutchansky de Simón.
Sincar factory and a member of
Poder Obrero, OCPO). She was dis-
36
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Montoneros. On June 3, 1976, he
appeared on August 22, 1976, from
37. Hugo José Medrano. He was mar-
was disappeared while getting off a
a public street in Buenos Aires (pic-
ried, with one daughter, 29 years
bus near his home in La Plata, prov-
tured on the far left).
old, and a member of PRT-ERP. He
ince of Buenos Aires.
Argentina
42.
Francisco
Ricardo
Torres
Paredes. He was 36 years old and
a Bolivian citizen. He was disappeared on May 11, 1976.
43. José Roberto Bonetto. He was married, with a son and daughter, and
33 years old. He was an advanced
student in architecture and a member of Montoneros. On February 1,
1977, he was disappeared from his
home in La Plata, province of Buenos
Aires, along with his wife Anna
Maria Mobili.
44. Graciela B. Sagües. She was married, with a daughter, and 26 years
old. She was a social worker and a
member of Montoneros. She was
disappeared January 25, 1977, from
La Plata, province of Buenos Aires.
Her husband had been disappeared
in December 1976.
45. Carlos Eduardo Lugones. He
was 21 years old, studied medicine,
He disappeared December 3, 1976,
from his home in La Plata, province
of Buenos Aires.
Monte Chingolo Case
O
n December 23, 1975,
prior
to
the
military
coup in March 1976, the
People’s Revolutionary Army (Ejército
Revolucionario del Pueblo, ERP),
an armed political organization,
attempted an assault on the army arsenal “Domingo Viejobueno” in Monte
Chingolo, located in the municipality
of Lanús, province of Buenos Aires.
ERP was unable to penetrate the arsenal grounds, and the insurgents fell
back into the surrounding neighborhood, where they were pursued by
army forces. Official figures placed the
number of deaths between 54 and
165.7 According to the investigation
by Argentine researcher Gustavo PlisSterenberg, an unclear number of civilians that lived near the battalion were
also caught in the crossfire. Estimates
of civilian casualties range from 4 to
40 persons and at least seven soldiers
were killed.8 The original judiciary file
indicates that between December 23
and December 24, 54 people were
killed in this incident, although one
individual’s name appears to be listed
twice, which would put the total at
53. The remains were first taken to
the morgue operating at Avellaneda
Cemetery, where officials severed their
hands and took them to the Federal
Police Necropapiloscopy Laboratory to
be fingerprinted, a standard practice
at the time. Copies of the fingerprints
were also sent to the National Registry
and to the Province of Buenos Aires
Police. Officials identified 44 remains at
the time through fingerprints, though
they were not all returned to their families. Four cadavers were visually identified by their relatives and returned to
the families during the same period.
Reportedly, the remaining 49 individuals were buried at Avellaneda Cemetery
in two rows of individual coffins; 30
individuals were buried in one row and
19 in the other.
2006, EAAF exhumed the burial site in
Avellaneda Cemetery, recovering complete and partial skeletons. The partial
skeletons are most likely the result of
government-sponsored exhumations
conducted in 1976 and 1984, possibly
as a result of the use of a backhoe for
excavation. In the course of the 2006
excavations, EAAF found that the
original map illustrating the location
of burials in the judicial file contained
numerous mistakes, with female skeletons appearing where the map indicated the remains of a male individual,
partial remains as mentioned above,
and incorrect alignments between the
actual burials and the map. The team
remapped the placement of remains
based on its work. EAAF completed
the analysis of these remains in 2007,
finding a minimum number of 48 individuals. There were 25 male and four
female skeletons, as well as six skeletons that were most likely male and
one that was most likely female, and
12 indeterminate skeletons. Two individuals were subadults (younger than
20 years), and peri-mortem trauma was
found in 32 cases, including a significant number from gunshot wounds.
In 2008, EAAF submitted samples from
the remains recovered for genetic testing as part of LIID, and, in 2009, EAAF
identified the remains of:
46. Norma Concepción Finocchiaro.
She was married, with a son and
daughter, 25 years old, a university student, and member of PRT-ERP. She dis-
At the request of families of the dead
and with authorization from the court,
between June 26 and September 5,
appeared on December 23, 1975, after
participating in the Monte Chingolo
attack. Her husband, Jorge Omar
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37
Chacarita Cemetery, Buenos Aires, Argentina, 2008. The ceremony held during the reburial of Antonio Pacino, who was identified by EAAF
in 2007 as one of the corpses washed ashore during the last military dictatorship, likely as a result of a “death flight”. Photo: EAAF.
Arreche, also participated in Monte
Chingolo and was disappeared.
38
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48. Aida Leonora Bruschtein. She
were later disappeared, including
had a son with her partner, Adrian
her father Dr. Santiago Bruschtein,
Saidón, was 24 years old, a univer-
her sister Irene Monica Bruschtein
47. Rubén Víctor Mensi. He was 21
sity instructor in the exact sciences,
Bonaparte, her brother Victor Rafael
years old, a member of the PRT-ERP.
and a member of PRT-ERP. She was
Bruschtein Bonaparte, and both
He was disappeared on December
disappeared on December 23, 1974,
of their partners. Saidón’s mother,
23, 1975, after participating in the
after participating in the Monte
Laura Bonaparte, later became a
Monte Chingolo attack (crouching,
Chingolo attack along with Adrian.
well-known activist in the Madres de
second from left).
Several other members of her family
Plaza de Mayo.
Argentina
Death Flights–
The Coast Cases:
General Lavalle,
General Madariaga, and
Villa Gesell Cemeteries
T
hrough testimonies from survivors of several CDCs and from
military personnel, it became
evident that the bodies of an undetermined number of disappeared persons were disposed of by dumping the
victims, sedated or already deceased,
out of military aircraft into rivers or the
Argentine Sea. These became known
as “vuelos de la muerte” (death flights).
Testimonial evidence collected by
CONADEP had indicated that this practice was primarily used by two CDCs,
one operating inside the Navy School
of Mechanics (Escuela de Suboficiales
de Mecánica de la Armada, ESMA) and
another one at Campo de Mayo, an
army base. Based on EAAF’s investigations, the team has determined that
El Olimpo, a CDC located in the city
of Buenos Aires, was also using death
flights. Through its investigations,
EAAF found evidence that some of
these bodies had washed up along the
coasts of Argentina and Uruguay and
had been given “N.N” burials in local
cemeteries.9
In mid-December, 1978, 15 bodies
washed ashore along different points
of the southern coast of Buenos Aires
province. Recovered by local police,
they were given “N.N.” burials at
regional cemeteries: 11 were buried
at General Lavalle Cemetery, three at
General Madariaga Cemetery, and
one at Villa Gesell Cemetery. Based
on its preliminary investigations, EAAF
hypothesized that the 15 corpses found
along the shore and buried in the three
cemeteries belonged to disappeared
persons seen at El Olimpo who were
“transferred,” a euphemism for extrajudicially executed, at the beginning of
December 1978.
In 1984, the judiciary ordered exhumations of “N.N.” burials thought to
correspond to disappeared people, to
be conducted at eight cemeteries in
Buenos Aires province, including those
at Lavalle and Madariaga Cemeteries.
Unfortunately,
cemetery
workers
under the guidance of official forensic
doctors exhumed the remains in a nonsystematic manner, and they were then
sent to the Medical Legal Institute in La
Plata. In 1993, the Institute reportedly
returned 18 bags of skeletal remains for
reburial at General Lavalle Cemetery.
In December 2005, EAAF conducted
exhumations at General Lavalle, recovering the skeletal remains (which were
not reburied by the Institute in their
original bags). EAAF’s anthropological laboratory analysis concluded that
they held the remains of a minimum of
12 individuals, probably corresponding
to the original 11 skeletons exhumed
from Lavalle Cemetery in 1984,
plus one from Madariaga Cemetery.
Amelogenin analysis (a genetic test to
determine the sex of an individual) of
the bone samples sent to LIDMO classified three of the remains as female and
nine as male.
the remains based on anthropological analysis. To confirm this re-association of anatomical skeletal sections,
EAAF sent 132 bones samples from
the skeletons to LIDMO. The genetic
testing confirmed the reassociation
of large sections of the 12 skeletons.
Reassociation of remains may provide
additional means of making identifications and can provide information
on cause and manner of death. It is
also particularly important to return
to families as much of the remains of
their loved ones as possible.
EAAF also sent blood samples taken
from the relatives of detainees seen
by survivors at El Olimpo to LIDMO
and the EAAF laboratory for genetic
comparison. Later, EAAF also submitted bone samples as part of the
LIID project.
So far, EAAF has identified 13 of the
15 persons indicated by the team’s
preliminary investigation as coming
from El Olimpo (two originally buried
in General Madariaga, one in Villa
Gesell, and ten in General Lavalle). Six
individuals were identified by EAAF in
2006, and a further eight identifications were made from 2007 to 2009.
The following individuals were identified from 2007 to 2009:
49. Oscar Néstor Forlenza and
50. Nora Fátima Haiuk de Forlenza.
They were married and both members
of the Montoneros. He was an architect in Buenos Aires. They were disap-
Since the 12 remains coming from the
Medical Legal Institute were intermixed,
EAAF first attempted to reassociate
peared on September 2, 1978, from
their home in Buenos Aires, along
with Oscar’s brother Héctor Humberto
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48
Avellaneda Cemetery, Greater Buenos Aires,
Argentina, 1984. Laura Bonaparte (front right),
the mother of Aida Bruschtein (below left) and
a well-known member of Madres de Plaza de
Mayo, shown at 1984 excavations at Avellaneda
Cemetery. The excavations, carried out by cemetery
staff under the supervision of the courts, were
conducted in a non-systematic manner, impeding
identifications in many cases. Photo: Roberto Pera.
48
60
65
61
64
58
70
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54
55
68
47
50
71
56
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41
Forlenza (who was later released).
and a member of PCML. He was
Oscar was 28 and Nora 24 years old.
disappeared on February 23, 1977,
from his house in La Plata, province
51. Carlos Antonio Pacino. He was
of Buenos Aires, along with his wife,
married, with a daughter and son, 35
Elena de la Cuadra, who was preg-
years old, a skilled mechanic who had
nant at the time. Survivor testimo-
worked for Mercedes-Benz, and a
nies indicate that the child was born
member of Montoneros. He was dis-
during her detention at the CDC in
appeared on June 20, 1978, from his
the 8th La Plata Police Station. Also
home in San Justo, Greater Buenos
disappeared at the same time were
Aires, along with his wife Alicia Maria
the owner of the building where
57.Rubén Héctor Bispo. He was mar-
Novelle (who was later released).
they lived, Norma Estela Campano,
ried, with a son, 26 years old, stud-
Humberto Fraccarolli (see below),
ied medicine, worked at a health
and Roberto Eduardo Bonin—all
care center, and was a member of
members of PCML.
the Montoneros. He disappeared
52. María Cristina Pérez. She was
25 years old, a housekeeper, and a
member of OCPO-Red Brigade. She
on April 19, 1977, along with his
was disappeared on July 7, 1978,
56. Humberto Fraccarolli. He was
wife Maria Beatriz Frias from their
from Buenos Aires. Her partner,
married, with a child, 25 years old,
house in Temperley, Greater Buenos
Franklin Lucio Goizueta, had been
studied psychology, and was a mem-
Aires. Another married couple who
disappeared the day before.
ber of PCML. He was also disap-
belonged to Montoneros were also
peared on February 23, 1977, from
in the house at the time, Alejandro
53. Omar Rodolfo Farías. He had a
the house of Norma Estela Campano
Alfredo Hansen (identified by EAAF
partner and a son, was 22 years old,
(see the details listed under Héctor
in 2006) and María Eva Bernst.
worked in a shoe factory, and was
Carlos Baratti, directly above).
Alejandro was abducted at the time,
disappeared on November 11, 1977,
from his home in Quilmes, Greater
Buenos Aires, along with his wife
Gladis Noemí Musante, who was
three months pregnant.
54. Roberto Ramón Arancibia. He
was married, with a son and daughter, 38 years old, a chemical engineer, and a member of PRT-ERP. He
was disappeared on May 11, 1977,
from his home in Buenos Aires,
along with his wife Maria Eugenia
Zago (pictured at center).
55. Héctor Carlos Baratti. He was married, 28 years old, worked in a textile
factory, was a union representative
42
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individuals between 21 and 35 years
of age, of which 37 were male and 16
were female. Additionally, 47 of the 53
(88 percent) remains presented perimortem gunshot wounds. Three individuals were identified by the team in
2006. EAAF identified 15 more individuals from 2007 to 2009 from Lomas de
Zamora Cemetery, whose names are:
but María escaped. She was disap-
Lomas de Zamora
Cemetery,
Lomas de Zamora,
I
n 2004, EAAF began exhumations
in Lomas de Zamora Cemetery,
located in the south of Greater
Buenos Aires, recovering 49 remains.
In 2007, EAAF exhumed four more
“N.N.” remains from Lomas de
Zamora Cemetery, presumed to correspond to disappeared persons. In total,
the team has recovered the remains
of 53 individuals located in 14 graves
throughout the cemetery. Laboratory
analysis began in 2006. Over 70 percent of the remains corresponded to
peared later in January 1978.
58. Enciso Sebastián Borba. He was
married, with two daughters and
a son, 31 years old, a Paraguayan
citizen, worked at the BRASERA textile factory, and was a member of
on April 6, 1977, from his home in
Quilmes, Greater Buenos Aires.
59. Manuel María Lojo. He was married, with a son, 28 years old, a
union worker, and a member of
April 29, 1977, from the home of his
friends, Graciela Moreno and Juan
Marcelo Soler, in Temperley, Greater
Argentina
Lomas de Zamora, Greater Buenos Aires, Argentina, 2007. Excavations of “N.N.” burials, such as the excavation shown here from Lomas
de Zamora Cemetery, are often made more difficult by disuse of “N.N.” sections and poor definition of the burials plots. Photo: EAAF.
Buenos Aires, along with his wife
of their spouses and friends, were
her house in Morón, Greater Buenos
Maria Teresa Berardi de Lojo (who
disappeared during the last military
Aires, on January 19, 1977. Her hus-
was identified by EAAF in 2006).
dictatorship.
band lived in exile in Paraguay until
Graciela and Juan were also disappeared at the time.
1983, and her father-in-law was ille61.Rolf Stawowiok. He was 20
gally detained and later released.
years old, a German citizen born in
60.Cristina Leticia Romero. She
Argentina, a chemist, and a member
63.Omar Mario Miguez. He was mar-
was 21 years old, worked, and was
of the Montoneros. He was disap-
ried, with three daughters, 43 years
a member of the Montoneros. She
peared in Buenos Aires on February
old, and a construction worker. He was
was disappeared on March 3, 1978
21, 1978.
disappeared from his mother’s house
from Lanús, Greater Buenos Aires.
in Buenos Aires on June 29, 1977.
Her partner, Germán Federico Kuhn
62. Marta Mónica Claverie. She was
was disappeared a few days later. Her
married, with two daughters, 24
64.Víctor Hugo Ávila. He was mar-
siblings Alberto Luis Romero (identi-
years old, a student of psychology,
fied by EAAF, see above), José Abel,
and a member of Montoneros. She
and Ana María, as well as several
was disappeared while walking out of
worked in a slaughterhouse, though
|
43
he had been suspended from the
Greater Buenos Aires on April 28,
been briefly taken to the Quilmes
job. On April 6, 1977, he was disap-
1977. Her two sisters had just left
Municipal Hospital to give birth).
peared from his house in Berazategui,
for exile in Brazil and Spain, due to
Greater Buenos Aires. His wife gave
a threatening call the family received
71. Mario Ramón Gómez. He was
birth to their second child, a son, on
about the three daughters’ activi-
married, 31 years old, worked as
the day of his disappearance.
ties. Irene had decided to stay and
an electrician, and a member of
disappeared shortly afterwards. Her
65. Laura Isabel Feldman. She was
husband, Fernando Merolla, and
March 10, 1977, from his home in
18 years old, a high school student
brother-in-law, Dante Anibal Merolla,
Berazategui, Greater Buenos Aires.
at the Carlos Pellegrini High School
were disappeared later in 1977.
of Commerce, and a member of the
Montoneros. She was disappeared
69. Alicia Margarita Guerrero. She
at the intersection of Córdoba and
was 18 years old, a student of mod-
Pueyrredon Avenues in Buenos Aires
ern languages, worked for the car-
on February 18, 1978. Her boyfriend,
pet company Meller SA, and was
Eduardo Alberto Garuti, and other
a member of the Justicialista Party
militant students from the school
(Partido Justicialista, PJ). Her boy-
were also disappeared.
friend, Eduardo Raul Leguizamon,
was disappeared in February 1977.
66. Héctor Ramón Rosales. He was
After his disappearance, and receiv-
married, with a son, 27 years old,
ing threats to her own safety, she left
worked at the SIAM factory, and
her family’s house to live at the Hotel
was a member of Montoneros. He
“Liz” in Buenos Aires, from which
was disappeared in Buenos Aires on
she was disappeared on February
February 24, 1978.
24, 1978. A friend of hers, Alejandro
Copabianco, who had lost his girl-
67.Rosa María Cano. She was mar-
friend previously and was living in
the same hotel, was disappeared at
taught psychology, and was a mem-
the same time.
ber of Montoneros. On April 6, 1977,
she was disappeared from her friend
70.Generosa
Fratassi.
She
was
Maria Aida Piñeiro’s home in Buenos
32 years old, Italian, a nurse and
Aires. María was also abducted. Her
union representative at the Quilmes
husband Federico Matias Acuña had
Municipal Hospital, and a member
been disappeared in February 1977.
of PRT-ERP. She was disappeared
in Quilmes, Greater Buenos Aires,
44
|
68. Irene Diana Wechsler. She was
on April 14, 1977, shortly after she
married, 19 years old, studied at
tried to help a grandmother locate
the Carlos Pellegrini High School of
her recently born grandchild (the
Commerce, worked in a toy factory,
mother of the newborn, Silvia Isabella
Valenzi, was pregnant when she was
She was disappeared in Lanús,
kidnapped by security forces and had
Merlo Cemetery,
Merlo, Greater Buenos Aires
E
AAF has found that the Merlo
Cemetery records of “N.N.”
burials during the last military
dictatorship period are generally poor.
A municipal ordinance ordered all burials with five years of unpaid fees to be
exhumed and sent to a general underground depository called an “ossuary.” In Merlo Cemetery, it is unclear
how often the cemetery staff enforced
this ordinance. The Federal Judge of
Morón, overseeing the investigation
of “N.N.” burials in Merlo Cemetery,
reached an agreement with EAAF. The
team is allowed to exhume graves that
have been purportedly removed (and
the remains relocated to the ossuary)
in the hope that the burials containing
the “N.N.” remains sought by EAAF
have not been removed but left in
place at a lower level in the soil. Also,
any time cemetery staff remove “N.N.”
graves that could correspond to disappeared people, they are required to
inform the Province of Buenos Aires
Human Rights Secretary and EAAF.
EAAF investigated two graves in 2007
and recovered one skeleton fitting the
characteristics of disappeared persons.
Argentina
Buenos Aires, Argentina, 2010. Anthropological and odontological analysis in the laboratory requires a number of measurements and
observations of bone features, in order to estimate age, sex, and other characteristics. Photo: EAAF.
Later in 2007, the remains were identified using DNA and returned to the
family as:
72. César Gody Alvarez. He was 44
years old, a union representative for
the Transportation and Mechanics
Workers (SMATA) local in Córdoba,
and a member of the Communist
Revolutionary Party (Partido Comunista
Revolucionario, PCR). He was disappeared on April 28, 1976, while in
Buenos Aires.
Santa Mónica Cemetery,
Merlo, Greater Buenos Aires
F
rom November 4 through 12,
2009, five EAAF members conducted excavations at the Santa
Mónica Cemetery, located in the city
of Merlo, at the request of the Federal
Judge of Morón. The team recovered
the remains of 16 individuals. From
preliminary anthropological analysis
in the field, EAAF determined that
14 remains (coming from 12 graves)
potentially belong to disappeared
persons, while the other two skeletons
were not of forensic interest.
Laboratory analysis is being conducted
in 2010. There are no concrete identity
hypotheses at the present time.
Marcos Paz Cemetery,
Marcos Paz
T
he Federal Chamber of La Plata
ordered the exhumation of three
“N.N.” burials in Marcos Paz
|
45
La Plata Cemetery, La Plata, Argentina, 2009. During it excavations in La Plata, EAAF recovered “N.N.” remains from a variety of burials,
some clearly delineated or marked (left and center), and others with the remains located directly underneath or to the side of other
burials (right). Photo: EAAF.
Cemetery thought to correspond to disappeared persons. The exhumations took
place on October 8, 2008. Laboratory
analysis was pending as of 2010.
La Plata Cemetery,
exhumed nine graves in 2007 and five in
2008. In October and November 2009,
with the assistance of cemetery staff,
EAAF finished a review of “N.N.” burials in the cemetery from 1975 to 1982
and exhumed 34 skeletons. Laboratory
analysis is taking place in 2010.
La Plata
T
he Federal Tribunal of La Plata,
which oversees cases in La Plata
Cemetery, has been reluctant
to order the exhumation of all “N.N.”
burials suspected to correspond to disappeared persons in the cemetery, fearing the loss or mixture of remains. The
Federal Tribunal permits exhumations
only when EAAF can present a strong
identity hypothesis for the remains.
Following this criteria, the team
46
|
out houses of her mother’s friends.
She was released shortly thereafter.
María’s husband, Juan Guillermo
Fernández Amarillo, was abducted
ten days later.
74. Margarita Delgado and
75. Horacio Bau. They had two
From this exhumation, EAAF has identified the following individuals:
daughters and were both 25 years
old. Horacio was a member of
Montoneros. They were disappeared
73. María Nicasia Rodriguez. She was
on November 27, 1977, from their
married, with two daughters and a
house in Ensenada, province of
son, 34 years old, and a member of
Buenos Aires. Another man was
killed during the raid on their home,
on September 6, 1977, from her
but his identity is unknown. Their
house in Berazategui, Greater Buenos
young daughters were taken to La
Aires. One of her daughters was also
Casa Cuna, a children’s hospital with
taken at the time and forced to point
a ward for very young orphans, and
Argentina
were later adopted legally. Horacio’s
been a member of Montoneros. She
friend Walmir Oscar Montoya was
was abducted on July 2, 1977, from
disappeared
same
her family’s home in Mercedes, wit-
time (and identified by EAAF from
around
the
nessed by other members of her
Berazategui Cemetery, see below).
family. Her boyfriend, Carlos Alberto
Weber, had been disappeared the
76. María Hilda Delgadillo and
week before. Her family requested
77. César San Emeterio. They were
information on her whereabouts
married; she was an obstetrician and
from army authorities in August
he was a doctor, both working at the
1977, and afterwards some of her
Olmos Prison. She was 44 years old
relatives were reportedly detained
and he was 48. She had helped an
for two days and tortured.
unknown disappeared woman give
birth to twins in August 1977, and
had given testimony to church officials shortly thereafter. They were
both disappeared on August 22,
1977, from their home in La Plata,
78. María Susana Leiva (at center,
holding daughter) and
79. Adrián Claudio Bogliano. They
were married, with two children. She
was 33 years old and he was 28. She
was a public employee at the Naval
Medical Legal Institute
of La Plata
A
s referred to in the General
Lavalle
Cemetery
section
above, in 1984, the judiciary
ordered exhumations of “N.N.” burials
thought to correspond to disappeared
people, to be conducted at eight
cemeteries in Buenos Aires province.
The remains were exhumed in a nonsystematic manner and sent to the
Medical Legal Institute in La Plata.
Ministry and he was an employee
at a Caja Autónomos, working in
the area of computation. They were
both members of Montoneros. They
were disappeared on August 12,
1977, from their house in Villa Elisa,
province of Buenos Aires. Alcides
Barrenese and Dora Ester Franzosi,
who lived with them, were also
abducted at the same time.
Federal Chamber, in turn, requested
that the remains be given to EAAF
for laboratory study with the intent of
identifying them.
In December 2002, under the authority of the Federal Chamber of Buenos
Aires, 90 significantly deteriorated
bags and boxes containing human
bones, clothes, ballistic evidence, and
partially legible notes were transferred
from the Medical Legal Institute of
La Plata to EAAF custody for analysis.
EAAF conducted extensive laboratory
analysis in 2003 and 2004,10 identifying a total of 24 remains as of the end
of 2009. EAAF was able to identify the
following individuals from this group
between 2007 and the end of 2009:
81. Noemí Elba Musaccho. She was
old, and a member of Montoneros.
She was disappeared along with her
friend Federico Guillermo Zitterkopf
(see below) on February 1, 1978, in
Lomas de Zamora, Greater Buenos
In the late 1980s, EAAF found that
these remains were stored in unfavorable conditions at the Medical Legal
Institute of La Plata. At the time, EAAF
reviewed some of these remains and
was able to identify one individual,
Leticia Mabel Akselman, and discussed improving analysis and storage
conditions with the Institute.
Aires.
Her
husband,
José
Abel
Romero, disappeared in January
1976, and his siblings, Alberto Luis
(identified by EAAF, see above), Ana
María, and Cristina Romero (identified by EAAF, see above), as well
as several of their spouses (including Noemí and Federico) were disappeared during the last military
dictatorship.
80. Stella Maris Bojorge. She was
23 years old and had been a medical student in La Plata, but had left
school and was living with her family in Mercedes, province of Buenos
Aires. While in La Plata she had
In 2002, the Institute agreed to work
with EAAF to provide an inventory with
as much detail as possible about the
skeletons in the depository and their
origins, which was then given to the
Federal Chamber of Buenos Aires. The
82. Federico Guillermo Zitterkopf.
He was living with Ana María
Romero, with whom he had a son.
He was 23 years old. He was disappeared with Noemí Elba Musaccho
|
47
74 & 75
95
89
73
79
48
|
85
78
83
Argentina
99
98
80
96
88
84
100
91
|
49
on January 27, 1978, in Lomas de
Zamora, Greater Buenos Aires.
86. Walter Hugo Prieto. He was mar-
91. Mario Miguel Mercader. He was
ried, 25 years old, worked in a
refrigeration factory, was an engi-
years old, worked as an electrician,
83. Nelson Agorio. He was a deliv-
neering student and a member
studied history, and was a mem-
eryman for the La Serenísima dairy
of Montoneros. He disappeared
ber of Montoneros. He was disap-
company, 23 years old, and a mem-
on August 20, 1977, from Lanús,
peared, along with his wife, Anahí
ber of PRT-ERP. He was disappeared
Greater Buenos Aires.
Silvia Fernández, on February 10,
on March 29, 1976, from a public
1977, from their house in La Plata,
street in Moreno, Greater Buenos
87. Alejandro Emilio Sánchez. He
province of Buenos Aires. His friends
Aires. He had been caring for a child
was married, with three sons, 31
Luis Eugenio Favero and Claudia Ines
whose parents had been disappeared
years old, had worked with Peugeot
Favero were disappeared around
previously.
but was fired and was working as
the same time (Claudia was eventu-
a construction worker. He was also
ally released).
84. María Beatriz Frías. She was mar-
ried, with a son, 23 years old, a stu-
disappeared on November 8, 1976,
92. Sergio Yovovich. He was 22 years
dent of psychology in Buenos Aires,
while trying to escape from his home
old, studied economics, and was a
and a member of Montoneros.
in La Plata, province of Buenos Aires.
member of Montoneros. His partner,
She was disappeared on April 19,
Two friends of his, Francisco de
María Rosa Martinez, was disap-
1977, from her house in Temperley,
Marco and Graciela Dell’Orto, had
peared in May 1976. She was preg-
Greater Buenos Aires, along with her
disappeared a few days before.
nant and gave birth under captiv-
husband, Rubén Héctor Bispo, and
ity (their son was taken by security
Alejandro Alfredo Hansen. Hansen’s
88. María Eugenia Sanllorenti. She
forces to her parents). Sergio, who
wife, María Eva Bernst, was also
was married, with a newborn son,
had been completing his at-the-
in the home but escaped. She was
23 years old, a student of architec-
time compulsory military service in
disappeared later in January 1978.
ture, and a member of Montoneros.
the north, returned to Buenos Aires
Bispo was identified by EAAF from
She was disappeared on December
upon María’s disappearance. He was
Lomas de Zamora Cemetery (see sec-
1, 1976, from her home in La Plata,
disappeared on October 14, 1977,
tion above), as was Hansen in 2006.
from the home of Juan Antonio Gines
and Marta Ester Scotto (see below)
85. Héctor Alberto Pérez. He was 20
89. Juan Carlos Barrera. He was mar-
in Almirante Brown, Greater Buenos
years old, worked in SAIAR RHEEN,
Aires, where he had been staying.
a factory that produced heaters, and
worked in the central post office in
His friends were also disappeared.
was a member of the Communist
Buenos Aires, and was a university
Party (Partido Comunista, PC). He
student. He was disappeared on
was
April 7, 1976, from Buenos Aires.
disappeared
on
November
29, 1976, from his parent’s house
50
|
93. Marta Ester Scotto. She was married, with a son, 28 years old, and
a member of Montoneros. She was
in Quilmes, Greater Buenos Aires.
90. José Reinaldo Rizzo. He was mar-
disappeared on October 14, 1977,
He was abducted at the same time
ried, with three daughters and a
from her home in Almirante Brown,
as his coworkers Gerardo Manuel
son, was 47 years old, worked in the
Greater Buenos Aires. Her husband,
Carrizo (released a month later) and
CELEC factory, and was a member of
Juan Antonio Gines and houseg-
Luis Adolfo Jaramillo (identified by
uest Sergio Yovovich were also dis-
EAAF in 1991).
November 17, 1976, from his home
appeared. Her son, who was very
in La Tablada, Greater Buenos Aires.
young and had Down syndrome,
Argentina
was taken to La Casa Cuna, a chil-
Scala and Néstor Zuppa in La Plata,
November 26, 1976, from La Plata,
dren’s hospital with a ward for very
province of Buenos Aires. Her previ-
province of Buenos Aires. According
young orphans. He became sick and
ous boyfriend, Sergio Julio Garcia,
to testimonies, Nora gave birth a few
died within a year.
had disappeared in January 1976.
days later and the child was taken
Mirtha was disappeared from the
away from her.
94. Oscar Miguel Prado. Oscar was
house on November 24, 1976, along
married, with two sons, 35 years
with Héctor (identified by EAAF from
99. Héctor Geraldo Chávez. He was
old, had worked in the SIAP factory,
Avellaneda Cemetery, see above),
Irene, and Néstor. She was four
years old, and a member of PRT-ERP.
His wife, Ana María Gonzalez, was
months pregnant. In October 1976
He was disappeared on March 29,
detained in March 1976 for six days
her brother was disappeared (he was
1976, from Moreno, Greater Buenos
by security forces searching for
released a year later), and her twin
Aires. His wife Hilda Flora Palacios
Oscar. After she was released, Ana
sister was in prison from October
was disappeared later, in November
María was unable to contact him.
1976 to December 1983.
1977 (and identified by EAAF in 2004
At the time of his disappearance
from San Vicente Cemetery, city of
he was staying with Rodolfo Luis
97. Wenceslao Araujo. He was married,
Casagrande and Rosa Rufina Betti,
with a daughter and son, 23 years
a married couple. Oscar, Rodolfo,
old, was a student of industrial tech-
100. Raúl Eduardo Manrique. He was
and Rosa were all disappeared on
nology, a conscript of the Air Force,
married, with a daughter and son,
November 13, 1976, from La Plata,
28 years old, worked at MEBOMAR
province of Buenos Aires. Two other
was accused by the Air Force of being
Chemicals, where he was a union rep-
men who were staying with them,
responsible for planting an explo-
resentative, and was also a member of
José Santiago Amato (see directly
sive in their headquarters, Edificio
below) and Pedro Pablo Benci, also
Condor, on July 15, 1976, in Buenos
December 8, 1976, from his home in
disappeared around the same time.
Aires. He went underground with
Monte Grande, Greater Buenos Aires.
his family after this incident. His par-
His brother was also taken at the time,
95. José Santiago Amato. José was 22
ents were disappeared in July 1976
but released a few hours later. The
years old, a veterinary student, and
and later released. His wife, Cristina
same day, other individuals from his
a member of PRT. He was staying
Gladys Montiel, was disappeared in
factory were also disappeared.
with Rodolfo Luis Casagrande and
February 1978, along with their two
Rosa Rufina Betti, a married couple.
children and her child from a previous
101. Hugo Ruben Flores. He had a
He was disappeared on November
marriage. She was detained for four
daughter with his partner Ester Elsa
4, 1976, from La Plata, province of
years. Wenceslao was disappeared on
Cesar, was 23 years old, and active
Buenos Aires. Rodolfo, Rosa, and
March 26, 1978, from Buenos Aires.
in an armed political organization,
two other men living in the house,
Córdoba, province of Córdoba).
although it remains unclear which
98. Jorge Néstor Cena. He was married,
one. He was disappeared on April 24,
with a daughter, and his wife, Nora
1977, from his house in San Martín,
Susana La Spina, was nine months
Greater Buenos Aires. Ester was
96. Mirtha Noelia Coutoune Podetti.
pregnant. He was 26 years old. He
abducted from her home the same
She was 22 years old, a medical stu-
was a chemist at the SIAP factory, a
day (they had been living separately
dent, and a member of Montoneros.
union representative, and a member
due to security concerns), leaving
She was living with Héctor Hugo
of Montoneros and PCML. Jorge
their daughter and two of her other
Malnati Salazar in the house of Irene
and Nora were both disappeared on
children from a previous relationship.
Oscar Miguel Prado and Pedro Pablo
Benci, were all disappeared.
|
51
Parque Cemetery, Mar del Plata, Argentina, 2007. Graves thought to contain the remains of disappeared persons have been protected
by government law, to prevent the “N.N.” remains from being removed and relocated to a general ossuary, a common practice in
Argentina. This grave from Mar del Plata has a plaque stating that it is a “Protected Grave” (Tumba Protegida). Photo: EAAF.
Parque Cemetery,
Mar del Plata
B
ased on EAAF’s preliminary
investigation, on November 17,
1977, three disappeared persons detained at the CDC at the Mar
del Plata Naval Base were extrajudicially
executed by security forces in a mock
confrontation and buried the next day
in Parque Cemetery in Mar del Plata.
With information collected from the
Province of Buenos Aires Police files,
EAAF was able to match the cemetery
records to the death certificates from
this event. On March 12, 2007, the
team exhumed three burials in this Mar
del Plata cemetery, under the oversight
of the proceedings known as a “Truth
Trial”11 that was investigating state
repression during the military dictatorship in Mar del Plata. The work was
done in conjunction with the Office of
52
|
the Secretary of Human Rights for the
province of Buenos Aires. Following
anthropological and genetic analysis,
EAAF was able to identify:
102. José Ademar Changazzo. He was
old, and a member of PCML. He
1977, from the city of Mar del Plata,
province of Buenos Aires. His father
and brother were also abducted and
remain disappeared.
103. Eduardo Alberto Caballero. He
was married, with two daughters, 28
years old, and a member of PCML.
He was disappeared on September
2, 1977, from the city of Mar del
Plata, province of Buenos Aires.
104. Saturnino Vicente Ianni. He was
married, with three children, 40 years
old, a union representative from the
Swift Corporation in Berisso (near La
Plata), and a member of PCML. He
1977, from the city of Mar del Plata,
On October 24, 2008, Mar del Plata’s
Penal Federal Tribunal ordered the
investigation of 26 individual graves
in relation to the Case No. 890/10,
“Association of Attorneys in Mar
del Plata and others / forced disappearance of persons / local Parque
Cemetery / identification of N.N.
corpses.” EAAF excavated the Parque
Cemetery graves in Mar del Plata
between December 1 and 5, 2008.
EAAF’s anthropological analysis in the
field found the remains of 26 adults:
12 males, 11 females, and three
undetermined. Of the 26 remains, 11
presented evidence of peri-mortem
Argentina
trauma. Fourteen skeletons were
selected as possibly belonging to disappeared persons based on their ages
and peri-mortem trauma, among
other indicators. Some of the graves
also contained material in association
with the remains, especially clothing,
which was recovered, marked as evidence, and stored. Bone samples from
these 14 skeletons were included in
LIID for genetic testing. These burials
relate to various incidents and currently EAAF has no concrete identity
hypotheses for the remains.
Olivos Cemetery,
Olivos, Greater Buenos Aires
A
ccording to testimony, on May
18, 1977, María Inés Montaña
took a cyanide pill when she
realized she was going to be detained
by police personnel in Olivos, Greater
Buenos Aires. The police contacted
her father and allowed him to visually
identify the body and bury it in Olivos
Cemetery, under the condition that he
did not label the site with her name.
The family never received an official
death certificate. EAAF was asked by
the family to formally identify the body,
in order to change María’s official status from “missing” to “deceased.”
In August 2006, the skeleton was
exhumed and a sample taken for comparison with blood samples from family members. In May 2007, LIDMO was
able to confirm the identity of María,
and, in Septermber 2007, the Federal
Court made official the death of:
105. María Inés Montaña. She was
22 years old, a university student,
worked in the nursery of a factory,
She died on May 18, 1977, in Olivos,
province of Buenos Aires. Her partner, Nestor Omar Podesta, had disappeared in October 1976.
Isidro Casanova
Cemetery, General Villegas,
I
n 2006, at the request of the Federal
Chamber of Appeals in Buenos
Aires, EAAF investigated cemetery
records at Isidro Casanova Cemetery.
As a result, EAAF exhumed 38 “N.N.”
graves from burials conducted between
1975 and 1983 that could correspond to
disappeared persons. From May through
June 2006 and November through
December 2006, EAAF recovered a total
of 34 remains, 25 male and nine female.
EAAF found peri-mortem trauma in 27
cases and recovered associated ballistic
evidence in 15 cases. Between 2007 and
2009, EAAF identified:
106. Modesto Perez Quiñones. He was
33 years old, worked in construction
as a metalworker, was Uruguayan
disappeared on June 24, 1977, in
San Justo, province of Buenos Aires.
107. Laura Adriana Serra. She was
married, with a son, 26 years
old, a law student, and a member of Montoneros. Her husband
Wenceslao Eduardo Caballero had
been disappeared in March 1977.
Isidro Casanova Cemetery, General Villegas, Greater Buenos Aires, Argentina, 2006. Cemetery
staff often assist EAAF archaeologists in defining burial plots for excavation; their familiarity
with cemetery practice is invaluable in locating and exhuming graves. Photo: EAAF.
|
53
110
109
107
116
115
118
54
|
120
Argentina
108
105
119
113
102
112
111
|
55
She was disappeared on August
15, 1977, in Buenos Aires when she
agreed to meet unknown sources to
receive information about her disappeared husband. Her father had
previously been illegally detained for
four days in October 1976.
In the case of remains exhumed from
San Martín Cemetery, Institute staff
examined the commingled remains,
photographed them, and eventually
reburied them in 26 bags in San Martín
Cemetery in June 1986 (25 bags containing human remains and one bag
with associated evidence).
108. Manuel Coley Robles. He was
old, a Spanish citizen, a union representative from the Rigolleau glass
factory (though he had been dismissed a month before his disappearance), attended night school, and
was a member of PRT-ERP. He was
disappeared on October 27, 1976, in
Quilmes, province of Buenos Aires,
around the same time as other individuals who worked or had worked
at Rigolleau.
109.
José
Osvaldo
Germán
Fernández. He was married, with
a daughter, 28 years old, worked in
the central branch of Galicia Bank,
and was a psychology student. He
disappeared on May 13, 1977, in
Buenos Aires.
San Martín Cemetery,
Morón, Greater Buenos Aires
A
s detailed above in the Medical
Legal Institute of La Plata section, in 1984, the judiciary
ordered exhumations of “N.N.” burials
thought to correspond to disappeared
persons, to be conducted at eight
cemeteries in the province of Buenos
Aires. The remains were exhumed in
a non-systematic manner and sent to
the Medical Legal Institute of La Plata.
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She was an English professor at the
University of Morón and a member
of Montoneros. She disappeared on
September 16, 1976, from Caseros,
province of Buenos Aires. Her second
daughter was born while she was
being held in captivity, given away by
security forces in an illegal adoption,
and later recovered by the Abuelas de
In April 2006, EAAF recovered the
26 bags from the cemetery. Based
on preliminary research in cemetery
records, the team believed the bags
corresponded to a minimum number
of 35 individuals, of which only 27
were believed to correspond to disappeared persons. The team completed
anthropological analysis of the remains
in 2007, finding a minimum number
of 35 individuals (confirmed by genetic
testing). Of these, 21 were male and
14 female. Regarding peri-mortem
trauma, the Medical Legal Institute
had originally recorded gunshot
wounds for the remains. Evidence of
peri-mortem trauma from the remains
recovered by EAAF was consistent with
this finding, but EAAF found other
peri-mortem trauma as well. However,
as these are commingled remains, it
is difficult to determine precisely how
many skeletons showed signs of perimortem trauma. As a result of LIID,
EAAF was able to identify the following individuals:
Plaza de Mayo. María’s mother was
illegally detained at the same time and
held for three days. Miguel had previously been disappeared in June 1976.
111. Gladis del Valle Porcel. She had
two children from a marriage with
Hugo Aníbal Puggioni who had
been killed in September 1974. She
worked for the provincial legislature.
After Hugo’s death, she moved from
the province of Salta to the area of
Buenos Aires, where she was a member of FR-17. She was 23 years old.
She was disappeared on October 27,
1976, along with her friends Juan
Carlos Arroyo and Marta Taboada de
Dillon, from their house in Moreno,
Greater Buenos Aires (Juan Carlos
was identified by EAAF, see the
Avellaneda Cemetery section above).
At the time of her disappearance she
was five months pregnant by a new
partner, who was also disappeared
in September 1976 in Córdoba.
Her mother was illegally detained in
1974 and again in 1976.
110. María Leonor Abinet. She had a
daughter from a previous marriage
112. Norma Robert. She was married,
and was living with Miguel Angel
25 years old, a university student in
Gallinari, who had three children from
architecture, and a member of PRT-
a previous marriage. She was 31 years
ERP. She was disappeared on October
old and was seven months pregnant
16, 1976 in the city of Carhue, prov-
at the time of her disappearance.
ince of Buenos Aires. Her husband,
Argentina
Arana Police Station, La Plata, Argentina, 2008. Two EAAF archaeologists map the more than 200 bullet holes found in the wall at the
back of the police yard, which are likely from the executions of disappeared persons held at Pozo de Arana. Photo: EAAF.
Edgardo Miguel Andreu had been
disappeared
shortly
before
on
October 5, 1976, in La Plata, province of Buenos Aires.
113. Liliana Irma Ross. She was married, 21 years old, a university student in medicine, and a member
of Montoneros. She disappeared
on December 10, 1976, in La Plata,
province of Buenos Aires. She was
four months pregnant at the time.
According
to
testimonies,
it
is
believed she gave birth to twins in
1977, which were taken from her by
security forces.
Arana Police Station,
La Plata
U
nder the last military dictatorship, security forces used
the back of a police precinct
on the outskirts of La Plata as a CDC,
known as Pozo de Arana. It was part
of a circuit of CDCs in the province
of Buenos Aires. Félix Crous, the
Federal Prosecutor in charge of the
Assistance Unit for Cases of Human
Rights Violations Committed under
State Terrorism, has established that
there was a group of CDCs linked
with Arana, some of which have since
been demolished. Many individuals were taken to these locations to
be tortured, in some cases multiple
times. It is difficult to estimate how
many individuals passed through
these facilities.12
At Pozo de Arana, according to the
testimonies of survivors, security forces
shot prisoners in the yard behind the
buildings, and then burned their bodies at the facility, as well as those prisoners who died under torture. Due to
the smell, survivors have reported that
they believed security forces burned
tires with these remains.
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57
58
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Argentina
Arana Police Station, La Plata,
Argentina, 2008. (Left page). An
aerial photo from 1972 showing the
Arana Police Station before its use
as a CDC (top left). The back yards
of the police station when EAAF
started surveying the area contained
confiscated motor vehicles, which
had to be cleared prior to excavations
(top right). Remains of burnt tires
with burnt human skeletal fragments
inside them were uncovered during
EAAF excavations (center right).
Excavations recovered thousands
of small human skeletal fragments,
which had to be carefully screened
and separated from non-forensic
material (bottom left). Following
the excavations and anthropological
analysis, EAAF estimated that the
remains correspond to a minimum
number of 15 individuals. Most of
the remains are badly burnt, but a
selection is being tested for DNA
analysis. In order to track and present
its findings, the team produced
graphics showing excavations at
the compound (center left). (Right
page). An EAAF press conference was
held with the Secretariat for Human
Rights of the Province of Buenos
Aires, where the team presented its
findings from Arana (top). Among the
evidence the team recovered were
human skeletal fragments, bullet
fragments and casings, and personal
effects such as coins that helped
in dating the findings (center and
bottom). Photos: EAAF.
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59
The facility is still being used today as
a police precinct. EAAF was requested
by the Federal Court No. 3 of Buenos
Aires to survey its back yard. Between
March and September 2008, EAAF
conducted excavations in the yard and
in the back lot of the adjacent stillfunctioning government Sanitation
Center, located next to the police station. The police yard is divided into two
sectors by a brick wall. EAAF cleared
the area of debris (the lot was being
used to store compounded vehicles)
before beginning excavations. EAAF
inspected the three sectors in question
(the two halves of the police precinct
yard, and the Sanitation Center lot) by
using test pits and trenching; in total
the team excavated 1342.5 m2. The
wall was also examined and holes in
the wall were mapped.
could indicate that the remains had
not been burned in situ. EAAF found
some of the remains in the back sector of the police station in pits covered
with a metal sheet and/or trash.
Embedded in the wall dividing the two
police yards, EAAF found more than
200 bullet holes. The team recovered
9 mm caliber, 11.25 mm caliber and
7.62 mm caliber bullet fragments from
inside the wall, on the ground below
the wall, and also in association with
the remains. This evidence is consistent
with the possibility that executions may
have taken place on site and consistent
with survivor testimonies regarding prisoners being shot in front of the wall. No
records have been found that the wall
was used as an area for firing practice.
EAAF collected more than 10,000
bone fragments from its excavation.
The condition of the bones has complicated the task of establishing the minimum number of individuals present
and also poses serious obstacles for
possible genetic identification. After
anthropological laboratory analysis in
2009, EAAF was able to establish that
the remains corresponded to humans
and that there was a minimum number of 15 individuals present.
Presidente Derqui
Cemetery, Fátima
O
n August 20, 1976, the cadavers of twenty men and ten
women were found on the
outskirts of the town of Fátima, province
of Buenos Aires. The medical examiner
briefly saw these bodies, and the local
The human bones that were directly
The excavations of the three sectors
police made fingerprints, though these
exposed to fire were recovered in
mentioned above led to the recovery of
were subsequently lost, according to
very fragmentary condition and were
burnt human remains from pits, mixed
officials. Officials issued death certifiseverely degraded by the burning.
with fragments of tires
cates for all the remains,
and fragments of bullets.
which were then given
This finding is consistent
“N.N.” burials in individwith allegations by surual plots in the Presidente
vivors that the remains
Derqui Cemetery, near
of executed individuals
Fátima. In 1982, the case
were being burned along
was reopened and officials
with tires. From EAAF’s
identified five of the individexcavations, it appears
uals. EAAF started working
that some remains were
on this case in 1987, at the
left where they were
request of a local human
burnt and others were
rights group, Relatives of
taken out and buried in
Disappeared Persons and
the back yard. The sites
Political Prisoners, exhuming
excavated in the rear had
and analyzing the remainburnt remains but lacked
ing 25 individuals. EAAF
A headline in the newspaper La Opinion from August 21, 1976,
charred soil or other signs
linked the massacre with a
describing the discovery of thirty corpses between the towns of
Fátima and Pilar, in the province of Buenos Aires.
of intense heat, which
“transfer” (a euphemism
60
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Argentina
for detainees taken for extrajudicial execution) of approximately thirty persons
from the Federal Police Headquarters
in Buenos Aires, known from testimonies to have happened in August 1976.
EAAF identified one person in 1987, an
additional eight in 2000, and three more
in 2004. As part of LIID, between 2007
and 2009, EAAF was also able to identify
the remains of:
114. Roberto Olivestre. He was married, with two daughters and a son,
40 years old, a union representative, a metal worker in the Royo
Metallurgy factory, and a member of
the Peronist Workers Youth (Juventud
Trabajadora
Peronista,
JUP)
and
from his home on June 30, 1976, in
Lanús, Greater Buenos Aires.
115. Enrique Jorge Aggio. He was
Ezpeleta Cemetery, Ezpeleta, Greater Buenos Aires, Argentina, 2005. Excavations at
Ezpeleta Cemetery, where EAAF recovered 29 remains believed to belong to disappeared
persons. In large-scale excavations like this, barriers like the one shown here, protect the
evidence and the privacy of the remains. Photo: EAAF.
old, an analyst in the work-systems
area of National Cash Register, and
disappeared from the hotel at which
he was staying on July 31, 1976, in
Buenos Aires.
As of the end of 2009, nine of the
human remains are still unidentified.
Escobar Cemetery, Escobar
I
n June 1996, a municipal employee
revealed that during the last
military government “irregular”
“N.N.” burials had occurred in the
Escobar Cemetery, province of Buenos
Aires. EAAF preliminary research,
aided by the Province of Buenos Aires
Subsecretariat for Human and Social
Rights, found death certificates and
cemetery records for four individuals
related to a case of a probable extrajudicial execution. The remains of these
individuals had been found burned
beside a road bordering the Luján
River at dawn on April 2, 1976, and
local officials gave them “N.N.” burials in the nearby Escobar Cemetery. No
further investigation was conducted
at the time. EAAF exhumed the four
remains from the Escobar Cemetery in
June 1996, and identified one of the
skeletons as Gaston Roberto Jose
Goncalves, but the search continued
for the identity of the others. As a
result of LIID testing, EAAF was able
to identify:
116. Tilo Wenner. He was married, with
two daughters, and 45 years old. He
was a journalist and worked for the
newspaper El Actual de Escobar. He
was disappeared on March 26, 1976,
in Escobar, province of Buenos Aires.
Pergamino Cemetery,
Pergamino
I
n March 1976, officials recovered
the corpse of a young individual
along Route 178, near El Socorro,
in the north of the province of Buenos
Aires, very close to the province of Santa
Fe. The remains were buried as “N.N.” in
Pergamino Cemetery. EAAF research in
2006, in collaboration with the Federal
Prosecutor, Dr. Juan Patricio Murria,
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61
found that the cemetery records showed
the remains had been moved to the general ossuary and could not be recovered.
The judicial file concerning the discovery
of the body contained the cadaver’s fingerprints, which were compared to the
fingerprint files in EAAF’s archives, yielding a match with those of:
117. Ricardo Gómez Ubelhart. He
was 21 years old, a ship navigator, and completing his at-the-time
compulsory military service. He was
disappeared on March 4, 1976, in
Rosario, province of Santa Fe. His
brother had been killed by security
forces in December 1975, which
reportedly led Ricardo to make
frequent public statements about his
brother’s death.
EAAF notified Mr. Gómez’s family
about the identification and the relocation of the remains to the general
ossuary.
Berazategui Cemetery,
Berazategui,
B
erazategui is in the southwest
of the Greater Buenos Aires
metropolitan area, on the
coast of the La Plata River. As part
of the investigation of the repression in the province, at the request
of the Federal Chamber of Appeals
in Buenos Aires, EAAF researched
Berazategui Cemetery records, as
well as death certificates for unidentified persons in the city’s civil registry, for the years of the military dictatorship. In 2006, EAAF found five
death certificates and five “N.N.”
burials for the 1976 to 1978 period
that matched the biological and traumatic profile of disappeared persons.
In April and September 2006, the
team exhumed four male skeletons
and one female skeleton thought to
correspond to disappeared persons.
The team identified the woman in
2006 as Susana Pugliese. The other
four skeletons were submitted as
part of LIID testing in 2008.
Buenos Aires, Argentina, 2010. EAAF staff working in the laboratory on the analysis of remains believed to correspond to disappeared
persons. Photo: EAAF.
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Argentina
In 2009, EAAF identified
two of the male remains
as:
118.
Walmir
2005 EAAF exhumed 116
skeletal remains, primarily from individual graves.
Following anthropological
analysis, the team selected
29 skeletons as possibly
belonging to disappeared
persons based on their age
and apparent cause of death,
among other features.
Oscar
Montoya. He was 25
years old, an illustrator, and a member of
Montoneros. He was disappeared in November
1977 from the city of La
Plata, province of Buenos
In late 2006, EAAF’s identity
hypothesis based on historical
research and anthropological analysis was confirmed
through DNA tests as:
Aires. His friend Horacio
Bau
was
disappeared
around the same time
(and identified by EAAF
from La Plata Cemetery,
see above).
120. Mario Alberto Godoy.
119. Raúl Horacio Premat.
He was married, with a son,
He was married, with two
29 years old, an agricultural
daughters and a son, and
engineer, and a member of
54 years old. He was a
Montoneros. He disappeared
publicist and had a pub-
on March 8, 1977, in Buenos
licity agency in Buenos
Aires. Godoy’s remains were
Aires. According to tes-
returned to his family in 2007.
timonies, he had agreed
to print pamphlets for
In 2009, as a result of LIID
testing, EAAF identified:
some leftist groups. He
was disappeared from his
house on April 29, 1976, in Olivos,
Greater Buenos Aires.
Ezpeleta Cemetery,
Ezpeleta,
I
n 2001, the La Plata Federal
Chamber of Appeals requested that
EAAF investigate “N.N.” burials in
the municipal cemetery of Ezpeleta,
province of Buenos Aires. The team
conducted its preliminary investigation,
The military inscription record for Mario
Godoy, registering him for the at-thetime compulsory military service. Military
inscription records contain fingerprints,
such as these, which can be compared with
fingerprints taken by local authorities
from unidentified remains, and aid in
making identifications.
121.
Juan
Enrique
Rodriguez
Plendianiz. He was 21 years old, a
construction worker, and a member
of Montoneros. He disappeared on
March 21, 1977, in La Plata, province of Buenos Aires. He was one
collecting and analyzing official records
from different administrative archives,
such as cemetery books, death certificates, judicial cases, criminal records,
and fingerprints.
Based on this information, in August
of 18 siblings, of which one other,
Oscar Argentino Rodriguez, was disappeared. Their mother and some of
their siblings were detained illegally
for periods of time as well.
The investigation continues.
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63
Province of
Catamarca
San Fernando del
Valle Cemetery,
San Fernando del Valle
O
n August 11, 1974, a
guerrilla group from the
Revolutionary
People’s
Army (ERP) initiated an assault on the
17th Regiment army barracks in San
Fernando del Valle. They were intercepted by police forces and dispersed
before reaching the base. Eventually
police forces and troops from the
17th Regiment located and destroyed
the remainder of the guerrilla unit.
Survivors’ testimonies suggest that
some of the guerrillas were reportedly shot after surrendering to the
Army and Federal Police forces, in an
incident known as the Parish of the
Rosary Massacre. The remains of 11
individuals, of the 16 known to have
died as a result of the attack, were
returned to their families. The other
five people were buried in individual
metal boxes in San Fernando del
Valle Cemetery without being identified. In the 1980s, cemetery workers
exhumed and reburied the five bodies in another part of the cemetery
to reutilize the space, as was routine
practice.
The project included the search,
exhumation, and forensic anthropological analysis of “N.N.” individuals
buried in the local cemetery. EAAF
exhumed remains corresponding to
four male individuals in metal boxes
(it is unclear what happened with
the fifth box at this point). Possibly
because the skeletons were incomplete, the team was not able to
locate any peri-mortem gunshot
wounds on the recovered remains.
In 2006, EAAF identified the remains
of Rutilio Dardo Betancour, an
Uruguayan citizen, and returned the
remains to his family.
From 2007 to 2008, EAAF identified the
remains of a further two individuals:
122. Alberto Rosalez Sánchez. He
was 20 years old, from Santiago del
Estero, and a member of PRT-ERP. He
was disappeared after the assault on
the 17th Regiment army barracks in
San Fernando del Valle de Catamarca
on August 11, 1974
123. Hugo Cacciavillani Caligari. He
was 23 years old, an Uruguayan citizen, and a member of PRT-ERP and
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Margarita Belén Massacre
O
n December 12, 1976, at
least ten political prisoners,
either in official or clandestine detention, were reportedly extrajudicially executed by security forces in
the northeast province of Chaco, near
the town of Margarita Belén. The final
number killed may have been as high
as 22. An army communiqué stated
that “subversive elements” attacked
a convoy transporting prisoners from
Chaco to Formosa provinces, resulting
in the death of three “subversives,”
the wounding of two guards, and the
escape of several prisoners. According
to testimonies, security forces told
political prisoners from various legal
and clandestine detention centers
around Resistencia, the capital of
Chaco, they were being “transferred”
to the province of Formosa (the word
“transfer” was often a euphemism for
extrajudicial executions). The prisoners
were then reportedly shot by Chaco
police and army forces.
Tupamaros, an Uruguayan armed
political organization. He was disappeared after the assault on the
17th Regiment army barracks in San
Fernando del Valle de Catamarca on
August 11, 1974.
In July 2005, EAAF worked in the San
Fernando del Valle Cemetery on the
investigation related to Judicial Case
4148/05 “Mirtha de Clérici and others on procedural measures” at the
request of the local Federal Court.
Province of
Chaco
In 1983, when democracy returned to
Argentina, further judicial investigation
of the fabricated confrontation became
possible. The incident was named the
Margarita Belén Massacre, after the
town near where the events took place.
EAAF’s investigation in 2005 revealed
that ten of the victims were buried in individual graves at Francisco
Solano Cemetery, in Resistencia. In
Argentina
Former Resistencia Police Investigations Brigade Office, Chaco, Argentina, 2008. An EAAF member surveys and maps the cellar of the
former Resistencia Police Investigations Brigade Office, a former CDC. Photo: Emilio Goya.
the aftermath of the massacre, officials identified and returned seven of
these ten victims to their families in
sealed coffins. In 2005, the Federal
Court of Resistencia, Chaco, ordered
the exhumation of the three remaining skeletons. EAAF recovered the
remains of two male “N.N.” and one
female “N.N.” As part of its preliminary investigation, EAAF compared
fingerprints taken from the cadavers
at the time of the events with fingerprints on the national identification
documents of disappeared persons
thought to be among the victims. As
a result, EAAF was able to propose an
identity hypothesis for one of the male
124
“N.N.” skeletons. DNA testing in 2007
confirmed the identification of:
124. Alcides Bosch. He was married, with a son, 28 years old, and
employed in a glassworks. He was
a member of Montoneros, in the
Agrarian Leagues. He was disappeared on November 22, 1976,
after leaving his home in the province of Formosa, with plans to visit
colleagues in Resistencia, province
of Chaco.
In 2007, using available fingerprint
records, EAAF also identified:
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65
125. Emma Beatriz Cabral. She was
old, and a member of Montoneros.
She was disappeared on November
1, 1976, from the city of Corrientes,
province of Corrientes, around the
same time as her husband, Reynald
Amalio Zapata.
In 2009, after including bone samples
as part of LIID genetic testing, EAAF
was able to identify the second male
“N.N.” as:
126. Luis Alberto Díaz. He was married, with a son, 25 years old, studied economics, and worked for
a judge in Resistencia, province
of Chaco. He was a member of
Montoneros. Luis disappeared on
January 1, 1976, in Resistencia. His
younger brother was detained illegally in December 1976.
126
Resistencia Police
Investigations Brigade
Office
T
he Federal Judge of Resistencia
requested that EAAF locate and
survey a cellar reportedly at the
former Investigations Brigade office
in the city of Resistencia. The court
requested EAAF’s participation because
of the possibility of finding human
remains at this former CDC, the specific location of which was unknown.
In February 2008, EAAF found and
completed a survey of the cellar
located at the former Investigations
Brigade office. EAAF conducted a
detailed investigation of the interior of
the cellar, finding on the wall two clear
inscriptions reading, “La sangre derramada no será negociada” and “Luz
y fuerza como cristal de roca.” EAAF
also located remnants of firearms and
a cattle prod in the cellar. This evidence
is consistent with testimonies indicating the use of the cellar as a clandestine detention center. The former
Investigations Brigade office has been
designated as a memorial to victims of
the last military dictatorship.
Quitilipi Cemetery,
City of Quitilipi
E
AAF exhumed six human
remains thought to correspond
to disappeared persons from
Quitilipi Cemetery in November 2007
as part of the judicial investigations of
Case No. 43/2007, “Finding of skeletal remains in the Quitilipi Cemetery.”
EAAF also recovered a significant
quantity of bone fragments. These
fragments were found on the surface
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and in soil removed during an excavation the week before EAAF began its
work, which was conducted in a nonsystematic manner and quickly halted.
EAAF completed anthropological
laboratory analysis on the one female
and five male skeletons. None of the
skeletons show signs of peri-mortem
trauma. EAAF included bone samples
in LIID testing, though no results have
been reached thus far.
Province of
Córdoba
T
he city of Córdoba, the second
largest in Argentina and capital of the province of Córdoba,
was seriously affected by the repression
during the dictatorship. The Third Army
Corps, controlling the central, west,
and northwest regions of the country,
was headquartered in Córdoba. Fiftynine CDCs operated in the Third Army
Corps jurisdiction between 1975 and
1980.13 Most of the “disappeared” in
and around the city of Córdoba were
taken to two army CDCs, La Perla and
La Ribera.
La Perla CDC, La Calera
The
National
Commission
on
Disappeared Persons (CONADEP) estimated that approximately 2,200 disappeared people were illegally detained
at La Perla between 1976 and the end
of 1979, making it one of the largest
CDCs in the country. The CDC was
Argentina
La Perla CDC, Córdoba, Argentina, 2010. EAAF staff and a geologist from the National University of Río Cuarto (leaning over map),
review new areas for prospecting; testimonies indicate that these areas may contain clandestine burials. Photo: EAAF.
located on a military base in La Calera,
just outside the city of Córdoba, which
measures more than 10,000 hectares
and where various military units were
located, including the Third Army
Command Corps. In addition to its role
as a clandestine detention and torture
center, many extrajudicial executions
also reportedly took place at La Perla.
Several testimonies from survivors
of La Perla, residents from around La
Perla, former police and soldiers mention possible clandestine burial sites. In
1984, limited excavations ordered by
the judiciary and overseen by CONADEP
took place, but did not produce any
findings. The Federal Court No. 3 in
Córdoba reinitiated the investigation in
2002, requesting that EAAF and personnel from the National University of
Córdoba survey the area and attempt
to locate burials at sites indicated by
testimonies: Loma del Torito, La Ochoa,
and La Estefa. From 2002 to 2005,
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67
EAAF, together with geophyicists from
the National University of San Luis and
the University of Rio Cuarto, surveyed
325 acres at Loma del Torito as well
as additional sites at the other locations. The team excavated exploratory
trenches in areas where depressions or
other surface anomalies were noted,
but did not locate any remains. EAAF
resumed investigations at La Perla in
2010, surveying new areas for possible
investigations.
129
San Vicente Cemetery,
130
127
City of Córdoba
I
n 1984, the existence of at least
one mass grave in San Vicente
Cemetery, thought to contain
the remains of disappeared persons,
became public when morgue and
cemetery employees submitted official testimonies to CONADEP. This
included an administrative petition
dated June 30, 1980, in which three
workers at the city hospital’s judicial
morgue requested the intervention of
the de facto president of Argentina at
the time, General Jose Rafael Videla,
in order to improve their work environment. In explaining the circumstances
under which they had been forced
to work and justifying their protest,
they complained about unhygienic
labor conditions in their morgue—
specifically, they described the entry
and characteristics of a large number
of corpses in 1976, which exceeded
the morgue’s refrigeration capacity. In
the petition they described the cadavers arriving, sometimes accompanied
by security forces, and typically “with
gunshot wounds, some with evidence
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of multiple [gunshot wounds]…all of
them came with their fingers painted
[for fingerprinting] and with markings, evidently from torture. They
had marks on their hands as if they
had been tied up with ropes.”14 The
majority of these bodies arrived at the
morgue without papers, so there was
no indication of which state agency
had sent them, although as mentioned above the security forces often
delivered the remains. At the morgue,
the staff entered the bodies as “N.N.”
and recorded that they were “found
on the street” or “killed in confrontations with security or military forces.”
In some instances, the bodies were
identified at the morgue and military
judges delivered the remains to their
families. Police physicians signed the
death certificates. EAAF found documentation indicating that in 1976
approximately 200 bodies were not
returned to their families and were
sent instead from the judicial morgue
to San Vicente Cemetery in four
mass transfers; similar figures were
recorded in 1977.
During 2006, EAAF completed the
anthropological laboratory analysis at the Córdoba Institute of Legal
Medicine of over 300 remains exhumed
between 2002 and 2004 at San Vicente
Cemetery. Of these remains, EAAF
found that 56 skeletons could potentially correspond to disappeared persons. As of 2006, EAAF had identified
the remains of 11 individuals. Between
2007 and 2009, EAAF identified three
Argentina
San Vicente Cemetery, Córdoba, Argentina, 2009. For new excavations outside the San Vicente Cemetery crematorium, EAAF had to
break through and remove pavement. Photo: EAAF.
remains exhumed from San Vicente
Cemetery as corresponding to:
the Lechero dairy union. He was also
a member of PRT-ERP. He was disappeared June 15, 1976, in the prov-
127. Eduardo Juan Jensen. He was
ince of Córdoba.
married, 29 years old, and a member
of Montoneros. He was disappeared
129. Juan Carlos Suárez. He was 21
on October 15, 1975, in the city of
years old. Juan was disappeared on
Córdoba, prior to the military coup.
July 19, 1976, in the city of Córdoba,
He was abducted around the same
province of Córdoba. His family was
time as his friends Horacio Pietragalla
notified about his death but not
(identified by EAAF in 2003) and Juan
allowed to see the body before its
Isidro Saucedo. His wife, a professor
burial in a common grave.
of literature, was disappeared later
in October 1976.
128. Pablo Daniel Ortman. He was
36 years old, employed at Sancor (a
dairy producer), and participated in
In 2009, EAAF conducted new excavations in the San Vicente Cemetery.
From testimonies and EAAF’s previous excavations in the surrounding
area, the team suspected clandestine
burials may have taken place to the
side of the cemetery crematorium,
which is now a paved road. After
breaking through the pavement, EAAF
conducted excavations, but found
no remains of interest for the team’s
investigation.
La Calera Cemetery,
La Calera
E
AAF was also asked to
determine whether remains
returned to the Piotti family in
fact belonged to Jorge Luis Piotti, who
was killed by military forces in 1977.
The team exhumed and analyzed the
remains, buried at La Calera Cemetery,
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69
a city in the province of Córdoba. As
part of LIID, the team was able to confirm the identification of:
130. Jorge Luis Piotti. He was married, with a son, 28 years old, a
former seminary student, and had
studied psychology at the university. He was killed January 19,
1977, in the city of Santa Fe, province of Santa Fe. His wife María del
Cármen Sosa had been disappeared
in January 1976 from the street in
the city of Córdoba.
Province of
Corrientes
Empedrado Cemetery,
Empedrado
I
n June 2006, at a local court’s
request, EAAF exhumed five graves
at Empedrado Cemetery, in the city
of Empedrado, recovering four male
remains (the fifth grave was empty).
EAAF believes three of the four correspond to three bodies which appeared
floating on the Paraná River between
December 1976 and July 1977.
According to testimonies provided to
EAAF by the police officers who originally collected the corpses and oversaw their transfer to the cemetery, as
well as the physician who issued the
death certificates, they were found
with incisions in their abdomens and
missing fingertips; they also reportedly exhibited signs of bondage and
torture. EAAF tentatively linked this
investigation to a CDC which operated during the last dictatorship at the
Buenos Aires, Argentina, 2010. Prior to conducting anthropological analysis, EAAF staff assemble remains in standard anatomical
position. Photo: EAAF.
70
|
Argentina
Infantry Regiment No. 9, in the city of
Corrientes. Anthropological laboratory
analysis was conducted by EAAF. Based
on an identity hypothesis for one of
the skeletons coming from preliminary
investigations, EAAF used DNA testing
to identify one individual in August
2007 as:
131. Rómulo Gregorio Artieda. He
was 22 years old, a law student,
and
a
mem-
ber of PRT-ERP.
He was disappeared on May
14, 1977, from
the
Burzaco
Train
Station,
B u r z a c o ,
Greater Buenos
Aires.
Investigations are ongoing.
Santa Cruz Cemetery,
Paso de los Libres,
Argentina-Brazil Border
desk, shouted that he was a member
of Montoneros and was killing himself,
and then swallowed a cyanide capsule.
This information, including his identity,
was reported in provincial and national
newspapers. Remains were then buried as Martín Gervasio Guadix in Santa
Cruz Cemetery without the involvement of the family. EAAF exhumed this
grave in Paso de los Libres, recovering
the remains of one adult male. After
anthropological laboratory analysis, the
team found pre-mortem trauma, but
no probable cause of death. After the
anthropological analysis and DNA testing conducted by EAAF, the team confirmed the remains as belonging to:
132. Martín Gervasio Guadix. He was
old, studying architecture, and was
a member of Montoneros. He disappeared on August 26, 1980, in
Buenos Aires.
Province of
Entre Ríos
Parque de la Paz
Cemetery, San Benito
T
he Federal Court of Paraná
requested that EAAF investigate forced disappearances in
the area during the last military dictatorship. EAAF conducted an exhumation at Parque de la Paz Cemetery in
San Benito, near the city of Paraná,
on February 11, 2007. The team
had a strong preliminary identification hypothesis because the family
had clandestinely exhumed an individual’s remains that they believed to
belong to Juan Alberto Osuna from
a “N.N.” grave in Paraná Cemetery.
The family had been informed that
their relative was dead after seeking
132
I
n November 2008, at a local court’s
request, EAAF was asked to determine whether remains buried in
Santa Cruz Cemetery in December 1980
under the name Martín Gervasio Guadix,
actually corresponded to this individual
and to assess his cause of death. Martín
had disappeared from Buenos Aires in
August 1980 and, in December 1980,
purportedly committed suicide while
crossing from the Argentine town of
Paso de los Libres to Brazil. According to
statements from army and customs personnel, he appeared at their office, very
nervous, stopped before the customs
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71
information from the Army. After asking about the burials of “subversives”
in Paraná Cemetery, the family was
told by cemetery staff that these were
located in a certain section among
the “N.N.” graves. The family recovered a skeleton in 1981 that they
believed belonged to Juan, based on
a corresponding dental fixture that
he was known to have. The family
reburied the remains in Parque de la
Paz Cemetery. The identification was
confirmed by anthropological analysis
and DNA testing as:
in order to confirm the cause and
manner of death. The exhumation
was conducted at the cemetery in
Diamante, a city in the western section of the Entre Ríos province, and
the laboratory analysis of the remains
was carried out at the Judiciary
Morgue of Oro Verde, approximately
25 kilometers to the north. Perimortem trauma consisted of multiple gunshot wounds, which would
have been sufficient to cause death.
In addition, 32 fragments of bullets
were collected in association with
Fernando’s remains.
133. Juan Alberto Osuna. He was 27
years old and a student at a technical
college in Entre Ríos. He was disappeared on September 24, 1976.
According to court investigations,
Juan Alberto and Carlos José María
Fernández were killed in a fake confrontation in a house in Paraná, after
being held by security forces in illegal detention. The event is known as
the La Tapera Massacre. Fernández’s
remains have not been located.
Diamante Cemetery,
City of Diamante
A
ccording to testimonies,
Fernando Bravo and his
wife, María Irma Ferreyra,
were executed by security forces
at their home in the city of Rosario
on January 7, 1977. They were buried with their identities. Their son,
Martín Fernando, survived and was
raised by his aunt. At the request of
the Federal Tribunal No. 4 of Rosario,
EAAF exhumed Fernando’s remains
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|
Province of
Formosa
T
he investigations in Formosa
focus on the criminal activities
of the Second Army Corps and
the two CDCs it operated between
1976 and 1977: the Mountain Infantry
Regiment No. 29 and the San Antonio
provincial police station.
Virgin of Itatí Cemetery
and San Antonio Cemetery,
City of Formosa
I
n July 2006, at the request of judicial authorities, EAAF and forensic
pathologist Luis Bosio, an expert
witness for the Medico-Forensic Corp
of the National Supreme Court, conducted an initial survey of the Virgin
of Itatí Cemetery, located in the city of
Formosa. EAAF and Bosio planned to
excavate “N.N.” burials in the cemetery
that could contain the remains of disappeared persons.
On October 5, 1975, approximately
50 Montoneros attacked the base
of the Mountain Infantry Regiment
No. 29 and then the local airport in
Formosa, stealing two aircraft. This
attack resulted in 17 dead assailants. They were given “N.N” burials
in Virgin of Itatí Cemetery. In 1992,
some burials from this cemetery were
Argentina
City of Formosa, Argentina, 2006. EAAF excavations in the Formosa park that was
previously part of Virgin de Itatí Cemetery. Human remains were located, but EAAF
determined that they did not correspond to the individuals being sought. Photo: EAAF.
moved to the nearby San Antonio
Cemetery to make room for a park.
However, according to testimonies,
the burials related to the Montoneros
attack were not relocated during this
period, even though they were within
the new park space. EAAF carried out
exhumations in the new park in 2007,
based on cemetery records, interviews
with former morgue employees, and
documents associated with the 1992
transferals. No remains of interest
were located in this stage of excavation. EAAF has also begun investigating “N.N.” burials in these two cemeteries that date from 1976.
Province of
Mendoza
Campo Las Lajas
A
t the request of local human
rights organizations, EAAF
members have traveled to
Mendoza on several occasions, but
until recently no concrete work
|
73
Capital Cemetery, City of Mendoza, Argentina, 2009. Throughout EAAF’s excavations in Capital Cemetery, the team was accompanied by
families of disappeared individuals from the area. Photo: EAAF.
strategy was developed to search for
the remains of disappeared people in
the province.
In 2007, after a deposition presented
by the Ecumenical Movement for
Human Rights (Movimiento Ecuménico
por los Derechos Humanos, MEDH)
before local courts, Mendoza’s judiciary authorized the search for clandestine burial sites in Campo Las
Lajas, a mountainous area used for
military training. According to testimonies, Campo Las Lajas was used as
74
|
a clandestine detention center run by
the 4th Air Force Brigade in the 1970s,
and several disappeared persons from
the area were imprisoned there. At the
request of MEDH, the Mendoza Federal
Court No. 1 appointed EAAF and geologists from the National University of
San Luis as experts for the case.
In 2008, EAAF members traveled to
the area several times to excavate
sites marked by the geologists, with
no concrete results. Geophysical techniques such as ground penetrating
radar cannot be used extensively
because the site, at approximately
12 km2, is too large to make these
geophysical techniques practical and
also because of its mountainous terrain. Furthermore, the testimonial
evidence collected about potential
burial sites is poor. In 2009, EAAF
and the geologists decided to select
sites for investigation that appeared
to have been altered by human activity. To this end, during two trips
in 2009, EAAF and the geologists
reviewed aerial photos taken from
Argentina
a helicopter in 2007, studied maps,
and evaluated whether terrain deviated from its expected form using
geology. At the same time, using
backhoes, EAAF surveyed three sites
previously selected by the geologists.
These excavations yielded no results.
Capital Cemetery,
City of Mendoza
D
uring another trip to
Mendoza in July 2009, EAAF
members were asked by the
District Attorney’s Unit for Human
Rights (Unidad Fiscal de Derechos
Humanos) to make a preliminary visit
to the local cemetery, where some
disappeared persons were said to
have been buried during the last military dictatorship as “N.N.” remains.
Personnel from the District Attorney’s
Unit for Human Rights reviewed cemetery records and autopsy reports
from the local medical examiner’s
office and passed their findings to
EAAF members. After its preliminary investigation, EAAF selected 22
graves that could contain remains of
disappeared persons. An EAAF member met with the Federal Court No. 1
of Mendoza, which authorized exhumations in the cemetery. EAAF began
to collect blood samples from victims’
families from the province in 2010,
in addition to samples collected from
LIID, in order to conduct genetic testing for identification purposes. Based
on preliminary investigations, EAAF
has strong identity hypotheses in
three cases to date. Excavations also
began in 2010 and bone samples will
be included in LIID genetic testing.
Capital Cemetery, City of Mendoza, Argentina, 2009. “N.N.” burials in Capital Cemetery
can include as many as ten individuals buried one above one another. In this grave, the
remains EAAF sought were at the very bottom of the grave. Photo: EAAF.
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75
Province of
Misiones
Oberá Cemetery, Oberá
S
usana Ferreyra, was killed by
army personnel on December
16, 1976 in Campo Grande,
a town in Misiones. At the time, her
remains were returned to her family in a closed coffin. The family was
not informed how Susana died and
had no opportunity to visually identify the remains. The family requested
that EAAF analyze the remains to confirm identity and evaluate the cause of
death. EAAF exhumed the remains in
May 2008 from Oberá Cemetery and
analyzed the recovered remains at the
Judicial Authority Morgue in Buenos
Aires. EAAF conducted anthropological
analysis of the remains, and found perimortem trauma consisting of multiple
gunshot wounds, which would have
been sufficient to cause her death. In
September 2008, the LIDMO genetics laboratory confirmed the exhumed
remains as belonging to:
134. Susana Ferreyra. She was a member of Montoneros. She was a victim
of extrajudicial execution on December
16, 1976. Her age at the time of her
disappearance is unknown because her
exact birth date is not known.
Posadas and Santa Ana
Cemetery
I
n September 2007, the team traveled
to Posadas, Misiones, in order to meet
with the Federal Judge of Posadas and
prepare for excavations at the Santa Ana
Cemetery, located in Posadas.
The objective of the work was to
locate the burials of corpses that had
appeared on the bank of the Paraná
River, the border between Argentina
and Paraguay, only 100 meters from
the cemetery. The dates provided in the
available testimonies are inexact, and
EAAF has theorized that the remains
could belong to victims from periods
of violence in Paraguay in 1960, near
the beginning of Stroessner’s dictatorship, or from Argentina in 1976. The
cemetery records did not provide this
information. The team was unable
to find documentation of cemetery
burials and was forced to excavate in
several areas. From April 21 to May
5, 2008, the team excavated sections
of the Santa Ana Cemetery. The team
recovered two male skeletons that may
correspond to disappeared persons,
either from Argentina or Paraguay.
Other Sites
T
wo EAAF members returned to
Posadas, Misiones, from June 8
to 18, 2009, to conduct further
excavations in six locations: the former
local Investigations Brigade headquarters, Cerro Azul Cemetery, an empty lot
in Barrio Santa Rita, and three former
clandestine detention centers, Casa de
Mártires (House of Martyrs), Apóstoles
(Apostles), and Destacamento de
Prefectura de Santa Ana (Santa Ana
Naval Detachment Post). Geophysicists
contracted by the National Ministry of
Justice and Human Rights surveyed the
sites, using ground penetrating radar to
detect potential soil disturbances that
could indicate burials. EAAF recovered
no remains from any of these sites.
Paraguay
E
Santa Ana Cemetery, Posadas, Argentina, 2008. Records at Santa Ana Cemetery were
unclear about the location of the graves EAAF sought, forcing the team to excavate in
several locations. Photo: EAAF.
76
|
AAF took the opportunity during its September 2007 work
in Posadas to attend a public
audience of the Paraguayan Truth and
Justice Commission, being held in the
province of Misiones, which borders
Paraguay and is home to many exiled
Paraguayans. EAAF participated in the
Argentina
event and established contacts in order
to begin investigations of Paraguayans
disappeared in Argentina.
Province of
Neuquén
Former Chos Malal
National Guard
Headquarters
O
n March 6, 2009, workers on a construction site
found human remains. The
site was located on what had been
the 1970s headquarters of the Chos
Malal National Guard Squadron No.
30. As a result, the Chos Malal Public
Prosecutor requested EAAF’s assistance
with exhumations.
Chos Malal, Argentina, 2009. EAAF’s excavations at the site of the former Chos Malal
National Guard Headquarters recovered seven skeletons, suspected initially of
corresponding to disappeared persons. However, personal effects associated with the
remains and historical investigations indicated they were Argentine soldiers from the
19th century military offensive known as the “Campaign of the Desert”. Photos: EAAF.
Between March 10 and 13, four
team members recovered seven skeletons from the site. The remains
were subsequently analyzed at the
team’s laboratory in Buenos Aires.
On the basis of associated evidence
(buttons, coins, and bullets) it was
determined that they did not belong
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77
to individuals disappeared during the
last military dictatorship and were
most likely the remains of soldiers
who took part in the “Campaign
of the Desert,” a military operation
against indigenous communities in
the late 19th century.
husband,
Mario Luis
Tottereau,
was disappeared on
February
27, 1976,
in the city
Province of
Santa Fe
Coronda Cemetery,
Coronda
I
n 2000, the authorities exhumed
the remains of four “N.N.”
women from Coronda Cemetery.
The remains had been found by
authorities on a road near Coronda,
Santa Fe, in March 1976 and were
not identified before burial. As part
of the work of historical reconstruction of the repression, EAAF studied
reports of the discovery in the local
papers. Together with the testimony
of relatives and survivors of the repression, these documents allowed the
team to formulate identity hypotheses. EAAF was able to identify one
of the women as Olga Teresita
Sanchez in 2005. Specifically, EAAF
found reports of two women who
had been abducted 15 days before
the remains were found in Santa Fe.
Anthropological and genetic analysis
led to the identifications of:
135. María Cristina Mattioli. She was
married, 18 years old, a university student, a factory worker, and a member
of Montoneros. She, along with her
78
|
of Santa Fe,
province of
Santa Fe.
136. Graciela Cristina Siryi. She was
29 years old, a psychologist, and a
professor. She was also a member of
on February 28, 1976, in the city of
Santa Fe, province of Santa Fe.
On February 23, 2009, two EAAF
members exhumed two graves from
the Coronda Cemetery in order to
recover the remains of two “N.N.”
males. The exhumation was done at
the request of the Santa Fe Federal
Court No. 1. EAAF only recovered
one skeleton; the other grave was
empty. The skeleton was male, without any signs of trauma visible on the
bones. By these and other features,
EAAF decided that these remains
were unlikely to correspond to a
disappeared person and they were
reburied.
Rosario Cemetery,
Rosario
T
he married couple María Amarú
Luque de Usinger and Rodolfo
Pedro Usinger were imprisoned in the province of Salta since at
least June 1975. On July 7, 1976, the
couple were extrajudicially executed
along the road from El Carmen to
Pampa Vieja, province Jujuy, while
supposedly being transferred by security forces to another jail in the province of Córdoba. At the time, an army
communiqué stated that three individuals, including María and Rodolfo,
were killed in a confrontation that
purportedly took place in Pampa Vieja,
in Jujuy. (A conflicting army communiqué also listed them as escaping
from an ambush of a prisoner transfer near Las Palomitas.) The remains
of the three people killed were then
taken by the police to the morgue in
San Salvador de Jujuy and, after death
certificates were issued, buried at Yala
Cemetery in Jujuy. The family of Maria
Amaru Luque de Usinger was notified
ten days later of the death of their
daughter and of her burial. They were
not allowed to verify the identities of
the remains. In 1980, a relative relocated the reported remains of Luque
and Usinger to Rosario Cemetery. The
family of the third individual, Roberto
Luis Oglietti, was also notified of his
death and burial. At the same time
that Luque, Usinger, and Oglietti were
killed, at least eight other people
were taken from prisons or clandestine detention centers in Salta and
killed in mock confrontations, either
in the provinces of Jujuy or Salta, in
a number of events known as the Las
Palomitas Massacre. The remains of
six other individuals were returned to
their families, without the opportunity
to confirm their identities. According
to survivor testimonies, two other individuals were taken from Salta prisons
around this time, and currently they
Argentina
Campo de San Pedro, Argentina, 2010. After multiple surveys of the large Campo de San Pedro military base, begun in 2008, EAAF
located a clandestine burial in 2010, containing eight individuals. Photo: EAAF.
remain disappeared. Several other
individuals disappeared from Salta
may also be linked to this massacre.
At the request of Federal Court
No. 4 of Rosario and the family,
on December 4 and 5, 2007, EAAF
exhumed the reburial of Luque and
Usinger in Rosario Cemetery. EAAF
analyzed the two remains it recovered, in order to evaluate the cause
of death and to identify the remains
scientifically. In February 2008, anthropological analysis and DNA testing led
to the confirmation that the remains
belonged to Rodolfo Pedro Usinger
and María Amarú Luque de Usinger.
Peri-mortem trauma on both of their
remains was consistent with multiple
gunshot wounds, which would have
been sufficient to cause their deaths.
137. María Amaru Luque de Usinger
and
138. Rodolfo Pedro Usinger. They
were married while imprisoned in
the Salta Prison in June 1975. She
was a psychologist and he was an
electrical engineer. They were both
members of Montoneros and had
been imprisoned before the military
coup (the exact dates are unknown).
Thus, their identities were confirmed
as:
They were killed on July 7, 1976.
Both were 26 years old at the time.
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79
Campo de San Pedro
T
he Campo de San Pedro facilities,
which belong to the Argentine
Army, were used for many years
for training and military exercises by
Artillery Command No. 121. According
to reports collected by CONADEP in
1984, a CDC operated on the site and
disappeared persons were held at the
facilities during the last military dictatorship. Beginning in 2008, at the request
of the Federal Court No. 2 of Santa Fe,
EAAF sought to locate potential clandestine burials on the grounds. Given the size
of the area (22 km2), the survey work is
being conducted in stages. The first and
second stages took place in September
and December 2008, and the third stage
began in February 2010. EAAF located
the remains of eight individuals in a
clandestine burial in June 2010, which
are being analyzed in the team’s laboratory in Buenos Aires. Two have already
been identified in 2010 as María Esther
Ravelo de Vega and Gustavo Adolfo
Pon, and details will be reported in
EAAF’s next Annual Report. Testimonies
indicate at least three more clandestine
burials exist at the facilities, and EAAF
will continue searching for these sites.
Barrancas Cemetery,
Barrancas
A
t the request of the Federal
Court No. 1 in Rosario, EAAF
started a second stage of fieldwork at the Barrancas Cemetery on
June 30, 2008. EAAF had completed
the first stage in December 2006.
The goal for the second stage was to
expand the search in order to locate
the remains of three persons reportedly
murdered along a rural road a few kilometers from the main Rosario–Santa
Fe interstate route during the last military government. EAAF recovered two
Barrancas Cemeterry, Barrancas, Argentina, 2008. For its reports on excavation, EAAF creates graphics showing the placement of the
remains and associated evidence, so it can recreate the scene later if need be. The graphic on the right shows the two commingled
individuals from this grave, four bullet fragments and a ligature. Photo and Graphic: EAAF.
80
|
Argentina
141
140
skeletons buried in one grave, believed
to correspond to the missing individuals. The bones were partly commingled.
Both skeletons presented evidence of
gunshot wounds. In 2009, EAAF was
able to identify the remains of:
139. Rubén Juan Forteaga. He was married, with a son, 28 years old, a chemist, and a member of Montoneros and
Peronist University Youth (Juventud
Universitaria Peronista, JUP). He was
disappeared
on
September 27, 1976,
in Rosario, province
of Santa Fe. He had
dropped his son off
with his parents-inlaw, saying he would
return shortly.
In 2009, two EAAF members conducted further exhumations in
Barrancas Cemetery, searching for the
remains of the third individual. The
team exhumed eight unmarked graves
but did not locate the remains. EAAF
also surveyed a section near the main
entry to the cemetery, but did not
locate any graves.
Preliminary investigations by the staff
at the Federal Court No. 1 in Rosario
suggested that the remains of the third
individual were transferred from the
Piloto Hospital in Barrancas to Santa Fe
Cemetery, a month after the other two
were buried in Barrancas Cemetery.
It is not known why this transfer
occurred later. After reviewing the
cemetery records at Santa Fe Cemetery,
EAAF and the Federal Court located
the grave containing the remains
transferred from the Piloto Hopsital.
In March 2010, EAAF exhumed the
remains believed to correspond to
Oscar Alfredo Bouvier. The skeleton
recovered showed peri-mortem trauma
consistent with gunshot wounds, and
is pending genetic analysis.
“La Piedad” Cemetery,
Rosario & Baigorria Cemetery,
Granadero Baigorria
T
he Federal Court No. 4 sought
the confirmation of the identities and a determination of
manner and cause of death for two
individuals believed to be José Rolando
Maciel and Herminia Inchaurraga. In
this case, security forces returned the
remains to their families but they were
not permitted to open the coffins and
therefore were uncertain about their
true identities. This is the case with
the majority of the cases of persons
killed and given to their relatives during the last dictatorship. When officials originally returned the remains
in 1976, an army communiqué had
stated that José and Herminia were
among four individuals killed during
a confrontation on August 17, 1976,
near Independence Park (Parque de la
Independencia). According to testimonies though, José and Herminia had
been disappeared on August 8, 1976,
and most likely detained at an undetermined CDC before being killed.
On April 10, 2008, at the request of the
Federal Court No. 4 of Rosario, EAAF
exhumed and analyzed the remains
returned to the families. José had
been buried in “La Piedad” Cemetery
and Herminia in Baigorria Cemetery.
Anthropological analysis conducted in
the Medical Legal Institute found perimortem trauma consistent with multiple gunshot wounds, which would
have been sufficient to cause their
deaths, and recovered several bullet fragments of various calibers. The
remains were tested genetically, and
EAAF confirmed the identities of:
140. José Rolando Maciel and
141. Herminia Inchaurraga. They
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81
A plot showing several sectors of Fray Luis Beltrán Cemetery (identified by capital letters), and the graves in each sector (identified by
lower-case letters). EAAF excavated eleven graves, and EAAF exhumed the remains from one grave after determining that they may
correspond to a disappeared individual. Graphic: EAAF.
were married, and had a daughter
and son. He was 34 and she was 29
completed and has been included as
part of the LIID genetic comparison.
years old. He had studied medicine,
though he was working as a traveling salesman, and she studied economics and was a fencer. They were
disappeared on August 8, 1976,
from their house in Rosario, province of Santa Fe.
Timbúes Cemetery,
Rosario
E
AAF was requested by the
Federal Judge of Santa Fe to
investigate “N.N.” burials in
Timbúes Cemetery during 1976. On
September 28, 2007, the team recovered the remains of a male skeleton,
approximately 20 years of age. The
remains were believed to correspond
to a disappeared person, but there
was no strong identity hypothesis. The
DNA analysis of the remains has been
82
|
Fray Luis Beltrán
Cemetery, Borghi
I
n August 2009, three EAAF members investigated “N.N.” graves
at Fray Luis Beltrán Cemetery,
approximately 25 km north of
Rosario, at the request of the Federal
Court No. 4. The team exhumed
eleven graves and recovered one
skeleton that may correspond to a
disappeared person. Laboratory analysis occurred in 2010.
Melincué Cemetery,
Melincué
T
he Melincué Instructional and
Correctional Judge (Juzgado
de Instrucción y Correccional)
requested that EAAF recover the
remains of two individuals, one
female and one male, from the
Melincué Cemetery. Security forces
reportedly extrajudicially executed
the two individuals along a provincial
route on the outskirts of Carreras,
province of Santa Fe, in 1976. Local
high school students conducted
an investigation that lead EAAF to
identity hypotheses for these two
individuals. EAAF believes they were
two individuals being held in Rosario
in 1976. Two “N.N.” graves were
exhumed from Melincué Cemetery on
June 4, 2009, resulting in the recovery of one female skeleton and one
male skeleton, both with evidence
of peri-mortem trauma. The remains
were identified in 2010 as Cristina
Cialceta and Yves Domergue, and
details will be reported in EAAF’s next
Annual Report.
Argentina
Province of
Santiago del
Estero
Clodomira Cemetery,
Clodomira
A
t the request of the
Federal Court of Santiago
del Estero, on June 3 and
4, 2008, EAAF members exhumed
a female skeleton from Clodomira
Cemetery. According to documentation the team obtained from
the Federal Tribunal of Santiago
del Estero—specifically, a report
of an autopsy conducted at the
morgue of the Clodomira Hospital
on August 30, 1978—the body
belonged to an unidentified
female who died as a consequence
of “cranial-encephalic trauma produced by .38 caliber lead projectiles.” As a result of EAAF’s preliminary investigations in the bordering province of Tucumán, the team
collected blood samples from the
relatives of a woman who was
disappeared in the area near the
date of the morgue report. After
anthropological and odontological
analysis, the blood samples were
sent for DNA analysis and a match
was obtained for:
142. Norma Delia Sibantos. She
was 37 years old, a fashion
designer, and a member of PRTERP. She was disappeared on
June 19, 1978, from a public
Clodomira Cemetery, Clodomira, Argentina, 2008. EAAF was requested by the Federal Court
of Santiago del Estero to exhume a grave in Clodomiro Cemetery thought to correspond to
a disappeared woman. Photo: EAAF.
|
83
142
street in the city of San Miguel de
Tucumán, province of Tucumán.
Norte Cemetery and Jardín
Cemetery
R
epression in Tucumán, located
in the north of Argentina,
began before the March 1976
military coup. During 1974 and 1975,
social conflicts in the area worsened
and activity by guerrilla and paramilitary
groups intensified. In 1974, ERP initiated an armed struggle in the forested
areas of Tucumán. In February 1975,
the vice-president of Argentina signed
Decree 261 authorizing “Operation
Independence,” which aimed for the
army to achieve “annihilation of subversion” in the province.
In 1984, after the return of democracy,
the Tucumán parliament formed a
Bicameral Investigative Commission to
investigate acts of state terrorism in the
84
|
province. The Commission compiled a
list of 507 kidnappings, including 387
people who were illegally detained
and continue to be disappeared, 96
who were detained and released, and
24 who were extrajudicially executed
and whose remains were recovered.
In 2005, EAAF began to collaborate
with District Attorney No. 1 in Tucumán
in search of people who were disappeared in the province between 1974
and 1978. The investigation is related
to Case No. 1832/04, “Romero,
Enrique Fernando, S/su Denuncia.”
Two EAAF members were selected
as official expert supervisors of the
forensic work. The preliminary investigation focused on Norte Cemetery in
San Miguel de Tucumán, the provincial capital. EAAF reviewed all of the
“N.N.” burials in cemetery records,
which included all registries between
June 24, 1975, and December 1983,
estimating that about 200 disappeared
individuals could be buried there. This
selection was based on the date they
were buried as “N.N.” and whether
they were recorded as dying in confrontations with the armed forces
(either real or fabricated). EAAF also
conducted interviews and researched
other documentary sources.
The preliminary investigation led to
delimiting several areas as areas of
greatest interest: Sectors 54, 56, and
58 in Norte Cemetery, where “N.N.”
individuals were buried during the
1970s, and a large unmarked area
in Jardín Cemetery. The latter is a
new cemetery adjacent to the eastern wall of Norte Cemetery, where a
morgue had been located. Testimonies
reported that clandestine burials had
taken place here. In September 2006,
EAAF began exhumations in Norte
Cemetery. Excavations were undertaken with the assistance of archaeology and anthropology students from
GIAAT15 and the National University
of Tucumán. Work continued in Norte
Cemetery and Jardín Cemetery—with
interruptions during the summer rainy
season—until late November 2008.
Between September 2006 and
November 2008, EAAF excavated a
total of 436 graves archaeologically.
The excavations recovered 1,519
complete and incomplete skeletal
remains from these graves, of which
53 had trauma and/or associated evidence that indicate they may correspond to persons who disappeared
between 1974 and 1983. The large
number of remains exhumed is due
to the cemetery policy of burying
four or five “N.N” remains stacked
one on top of another in a grave. No
excavations took place in 2009 and
EAAF resumed archaeological work
in Sector 54 in 2010.
EAAF’s laboratory analysis is taking place in GIAAT facilities. As of
the end of 2008, EAAF had submitted anthropological reports for 25
remains. The team found that 20 of
the remains were male, three female,
and two could not be determined.
Twenty-one showed evidence of perimortem trauma of which nine were
from gunshot wounds. After the
interlude in 2009, laboratory analysis
continued in 2010.
Argentina
143
Norte Cemetery and Jardin Cemetery, Tucumán, Argentina, 2008. EAAF archaeologists
working at Norte and Jardín Cemetery have had to locate possible remains of
disappeared individuals in graves containing four or five individuals, increasing the
difficulty of investigations. Photos: EAAF.
Bone samples were included in
2009 as part of LIID genetic testing. That same year, EAAF identified
the following people from Norte
Cemetery:
144. Juan Carlos Aguirre. He was
married, with two daughters,
31 years old, and a member of
on July 12, 1976, in San Miguel
de Tucumán. The remains were
143.
Ernst
identified at the time but the fam-
Meschwitz. He was 29 years
Guillermo
José
ily never recovered the body nor
old, had a son, was a Bolivian
received a death certificate.
citizen, studied medicine and
was a member of Montoneros.
He was disappeared on August
17, 1976, from a public street in
San Miguel de Tucumán.
|
85
Buenos Aires, Argentina, 2007. Promotion of the Latin American Initiative for the Identification of the Disappeared in Argentina by
Racing Club de Avellaneda and CA Independiente, before their Argentine First Division soccer match. Photo: EAAF.
Miguel de Azcuénaga
Arsenal CDC
M
iguel
de
Azcuénaga
Arsenal, an arsenal for the
5th Infantry Brigade of the
Army, operated as a CDC beginning
in 1976. Located at the northern
edge of San Miguel de Tucumán, it
was the biggest CDC in northeastern
Argentina, and hundreds of prisoners from Tucumán and other provinces, such as Jujuy, Santiago del
Estero, and Catamarca were detained
86
|
there. According to survivors’ testimonies, security forces shot prisoners
in extrajudicial executions and then
burned and buried their bodies on the
grounds of the CDC.
Under the orders of a local judge, EAAF
and GIAAT members began to survey
the area in June 2009. The EAAF-GIAAT
team inspected the grounds, reviewed
historical photos and documents of the
area, and conducted initial test excavations. The EAAF-GIAAT team also
began using ground penetrating radar
in order to detect any soil disturbances
that might indicate burials. After the
preliminary survey, the EAAF-GIAAT
team located 22 sites that could possibly contain clandestine burials.
In the second half of 2009, 89 test
trenches were excavated by the EAAFGIAAT team in these areas without
locating any burials. The EAAF-GIAAT
team located new areas for test excavations in 2010. m
Argentina
Endnotes
1. The nearly 30,000 disappearances periodically cited was an approximation given by CONADEP and human rights NGOs shortly after the end of the military dictatorship estimating that for every
one of the disappearances reported, there could be two more cases unreported at the time. After numerous efforts to collect more testimonies over the last 25 years, it has become increasingly
unlikely that more disappearances will be reported and the number of disappearances has remained close to 9,000.
2. See “The Coast Cases” section in this annual report and in the 2007 EAAF Annual Report, as well as the General Lavalle section in the 2005, 2006, and 2007 EAAF Annual Reports, and the
Uruguay sections in EAAF Annual Reports 2002 and 2003.
3. Snow, C.C. and M.J. Bihurriet. “An Epidemiology of Homicide: Ningún Nombre Burials in the Province of Buenos Aires from 1970 to 1984,” in T.B. Jabine and R.P. Claude (Eds.) Human Rights
and Statistics: Getting the Record Straight. Philadelphia: University of Pennsylvania. 1992.
4. According to the findings of the presidentially appointed Comisión Nacional sobre la Desaparición de Personas (CONADEP) and EAAF investigations.
5. For further information on LIID, please see EAAF’s report Latin American Initiative for the Identification of the Disappeared: Genetics and Human Rights, Argentina Section. The report is available on EAAF’s website, www.eaaf.org.
6. These reports can also be used in the prosecutions taking place in Argentina for human rights violations committed during the last military dictatorship.
7. Plis-Sterenberg, Gustavo. Monte Chingolo: La mayor batalla de la guerrilla Argentina. Editorial Planeta. Buenos Aires. 2006. p. 384.
8. Ibid. p. 384.
9. Through historical research, EAAF found that some of these bodies had washed up along the coasts of Argentina and Uruguay and were then buried as “N.N.” In one case, the body of Floreal
Avellaneda, a 15-year-old who was disappeared in April 1976, washed up on the shore of Uruguay in May 1976. He was identified at the time and buried in Montevideo (although the exact
location is unknown; for more information see the Right to Truth section of this report). In a separate case, in 2002, EAAF traveled to Uruguay and recovered the remains of eight individuals
believed to have been victims of death flights over the Río de la Plata. In 2005, for the first time, EAAF was able to identify the remains of five disappeared persons that were found on the
Argentine coast. They had been seen at ESMA and, after being washed ashore and recovered by the authorities, were buried in the General Lavalle cemetery—see “The Santa Cruz Church
Case” in the EAAF Annual Report 2006.
10. See the 2005 EAAF Annual Report.
11. See the Right to Truth section of this report for further information on Truth Trials.
12. Abuelas de Plaza de Mayo—Filial La Plata. “Arana— Ubicación.” Maternidades Clandestinas. http://www.abuelas.org.ar/maternidades/arana/ubicacion.htm.
13. CONADEP. http://nuncamas.org/ccd/ccd.htm.
14. CONADEP. 1984. Nunca Mas: Informe de la Comisión Nacional sobre la Desaparición de Personas. Buenos Aires: Editorial Universitaria de Buenos Aires. pp. 244-245.
15. Grupo Interdisciplinario Arqueológico Antropológico de la Universidad Nacional de Tucumán.
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87

Argentina

Transcription

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